TECoSA and NEXSoS are connected through a joint goal of making digital systems more trustworthy. While TECoSA focuses on general techniques for trustworthy edge computing, NEXSoS applies related ideas to the emergency response domain, specifically information sharing during forest fires. The TECoSA center is led by KTH, with Ericsson as a partner, and Ericsson leads the NEXSoS project awith KTH as a partner, supported by Vinnova.
Shraddha Tripathi is a post doc at KTH, working with NEXSoS. Her focus area is to develop efficient methods for collecting, processing, and exchanging data between edge devices and servers. She tells more about TECoSA and NEXSoS in an interview.
Describe briefly what the NEXSoS-project is about?
NEXSoS explores how future mobile networks and digital technologies can support secure and efficient information sharing in critical situations. Using forest-fire response as its main use case, the project brings together different actors and systems to improve coordination and create a shared understanding of the situation. It also investigates network support for extended reality (XR) and data-sharing solutions that follow relevant privacy laws. The resulting knowledge and technologies could later support other emergency services, including rescue, ambulance, and police operations.
Shraddha Tripathi, post doc at KTH, photo private.
My role in the NEXSoS project is to develop efficient methods for collecting, processing, and exchanging data between edge devices and servers. The aim is to reduce network load and ensure information delivery, in critical situations such as forest-fire, says Shraddha Tripathi.
What is your research about and how can it solve a problem?
NEXSoS explores how digital tools and future mobile networks can help different actors share important information during emergencies. Using forest-fire response as the main example, the project studies how data can be collected, processed, and exchanged efficiently between devices and edge servers. By reducing unnecessary data transmission while ensuring that essential information reaches the right people on time, NEXSoS can improve coordination, situational awareness, and decision-making during critical operations.
What have been the biggest achievements so far?
One of the main achievements so far is demonstrating that task-aware semantic compression works well for our scenario and can significantly reduce the amount of data transmitted while preserving the information needed for the task. We have also started moving from theoretical ideas toward practical prototyping and system integration. In addition, the project has helped us identify the main technical requirements, explore how different sensing and computing components can work together, and establish a strong foundation for future demonstrations in realistic emergency-response settings.
Any challenges you’ve encountered on the way?
One of the main challenges is that suitable XR glasses with all the required capabilities are not yet available. There is also a lack of realistic datasets for developing and evaluating our solutions. Therefore, part of the work involves using prototypes, combining existing technologies, and creating representative data for testing.
What excites you about the project?
What excites me most about NEXSoS is the broad research experience it offers. I can explore emerging methods, develop AI-based solutions, and investigate how they can be implemented in prototype hardware. I also collaborate with people at very different career stages, from master’s students to professors and industry researchers with several decades of experience. This combination gives me valuable exposure to both academic research and industrial development.
Last but not least, how do you see this research evolving?
In ten years, I expect this research to support highly connected and intelligent emergency-response systems. Devices, vehicles, drones, and rescue teams could automatically collect and process information close to where it is generated, sharing only the most relevant data. This would reduce network load and enable faster decisions, even when connectivity is limited. Although NEXSoS focuses on forest fires, its solutions could eventually support ambulance, police, industrial, and other safety-critical operations.