Exploiting "approximate communication" for mobile media applications

ABSTRACT

Errors are integral part of every communication system, whether wired or wireless. There are two broad approaches to deal with errors: (i) detection and discard of data elements in error and (ii) optional recovery from such errors either through proactive or reactive (re)-transmissions. Both these approaches assume that errors are binary in nature, i.e., an error in transmission implies a need to discard or recover the erroneous bits. In this paper, we consider an intriguing alternative, one in which data elements in error are accepted as "approximately correct" values. We call this approximate communication. More specifically, we introduce the notion that data elements being received are not just correct or incorrect. Instead, there exists a degree of correctness in the received data elements that can be effectively exploited by certain classes of popular applications operating across mobile communication systems.

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