FLOTO
NSF-funded edge computing platform for broadband research
Overview
FLOTO is an NSF-funded initiative to advance broadband research through large-scale, real-world data collection. It is a collaborative effort between the Internet Innovation Initiative and the Nimbus Group at the University of Chicago.
The project deploys edge devices across urban areas in the United States to collect real-time, granular data on Internet performance—informing policy decisions and advancing digital infrastructure research.
Features
- Large-Scale Deployment: Approximately 1,000 edge devices across the United States
- Real-Time Data Collection: Continuous broadband performance monitoring
- Docker-Based Applications: Containerized measurement tools orchestrated by Kubernetes
- Multi-Sensor Support: Extensible platform supporting peripheral sensors for air quality, computer vision, and more
Applications
FLOTO runs Netrics, our Internet measurement system, to gather performance data including:
- Speed tests (throughput)
- Latency measurements
- Packet loss detection
- DNS performance
Publications
Discovery Testbed: An Observational Instrument for Broadband Research Kate Keahey, Nick Feamster, et al. IEEE 19th International Conference on e-Science, 2023