A Survey of Next-generation Computing Technologies in Space-air-ground Integrated Networks

Abstract

Space-air-ground integrated networks (SAGINs) are key elements for facilitating high-speed seamless connectivity to the devices/users in infrastructure-less environments, where the traditional terrestrial networks are critically infeasible or uneconomical to be fully deployed. This article comprehensively surveys the advanced computing technologies that support the utilization of SAGINs for infrastructure-less environments. The advanced computing technologies refer to the emerging computing techniques, tools, and the processes that can be utilized to support SAGINs in handling the increasing computing tasks. The main contents include: (1) background of SAGINs, (2) typical use cases of SAGINs in infrastructure-less environments, (3) advanced computing technologies to assist SAGINs to meet the requirements of various services in infrastructure-less environments, (4) the related practical initiatives, and (5) the open research challenges and the future research directions.