The current implementation of the Internet is based on location and association aware connections, imposing unnecessary burdens for new types of devices and services that try to function within this environment. Transient communications and ad-hoc structures are precluded by default, and active association and re-association is generally slow and complicated while roaming. This is referred to as a transient network architecture. This project will develop the basic concepts for a heterogeneous network architecture based on persistently identified abstractions which map, at any point in time, to their current implementation, location, and other attributes required for network communication. Key concepts of the architecture will be prototyped and demonstrated. Each resource on the network is abstracted as a digital object and given unique identifiers within a distributed persistent identification system implemented using p2p technologies and as an evolution of the Handle System. These resources are then able to aggregate themselves into Areas of Influence which are network communities that define their own communication protocols, network implementation architecture, and implementation of the persistent identifier network. These areas route outgoing and incoming traffic based on persistent identifier resolution and local traffic based on their own local identification if necessary. This allows the overall architecture to maintain addressing and communications inter-connectivity while extensive implementation-level changes, are performed at the lower levels of the implementation. The architecture has a digital rights management (DRM) oriented design, and applies control theory to resource coordination. The work has the potential to define a future internet architecture.
