Strategies for sound internet measurement

  • Authors:
  • Vern Paxson

  • Affiliations:
  • International Computer Science Institute, Berkeley, CA

  • Venue:
  • Proceedings of the 4th ACM SIGCOMM conference on Internet measurement
  • Year:
  • 2004

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Abstract

Conducting an Internet measurement study in a sound fashion can be much more difficult than it might first appear. We present a number of strategies drawn from experiences for avoiding or overcoming some of the pitfalls. In particular, we discuss dealing with errors and inaccuracies; the importance of associating meta-data with measurements; the technique of calibrating measurements by examining outliers and testing for consistencies; difficulties that arise with large-scale measurements; the utility of developing a discipline for reliably reproducing analysis results; and issues with making datasets publicly available. We conclude with thoughts on the sorts of tools and community practices that can assist researchers with conducting sound measurement studies.