M-Lab, a leading open internet measurement initiative, had a productive 2023. This Mlab Review highlights key achievements, new partnerships, and future plans for fostering internet research and improving internet quality.
M-Lab’s 2023: Expanding Data and Platform Capabilities
In 2023, M-Lab focused on expanding its data sets and enhancing its platform. Three new datasets were published to BigQuery: Wehe, Reverse Traceroute, and Cloudflare’s speed test and AIM data. This provides researchers with richer data sources for understanding internet performance and behavior.
Significant platform improvements include expanding the virtual presence and developing MSAK, a tool for prototyping throughput performance measurements. Over 30% of M-Lab’s traffic now measures performance to Cloud servers, reflecting the evolving internet landscape and providing more relevant performance insights. The adoption of Terraform for automated Cloud management further strengthens the platform’s scalability and partnership capabilities. The introduction of the autoloading pipeline streamlined data publication, adding 10 new data types from various services.
New Partnerships and Community Engagement in 2023
M-Lab forged new partnerships with Cloudflare and Dioptra in 2023, leveraging their expertise and resources to enhance data collection and analysis. Monthly Community Calls fostered collaboration and knowledge sharing among stakeholders. M-Lab also actively participated in over 10 conferences, webinars, and gatherings, showcasing the importance of open internet measurement data. The launch of Measurement Swiss Army Knife (MSAK) provided researchers with new tools for measuring multi-stream throughput and UDP latency.
M-Lab’s 2024 Vision: Enhancing Infrastructure and Research
Looking ahead, M-Lab’s 2024 priorities include increasing the number of virtual sites, diversifying cloud providers, and pursuing client integration partnerships. This will ensure broader geographic representation and data diversity.
On the research front, M-Lab aims to enable calibrated measurements by increasing client vantage points. A key initiative is redefining internet quality beyond just speed, incorporating metrics like latency, jitter, and packet loss. Building out the Research and Technical Advisory Committee will further strengthen M-Lab’s research capabilities. Facilitating more open internet measurement research and collaborating with organizations like OONI, IODA, and Censored Planet are also key objectives.
Supporting M-Lab’s Mission
You can contribute to M-Lab’s mission by partnering with them, donating data or resources, sponsoring a site, or incorporating their data and tools into your research. Every internet speed test conducted using M-Lab contributes valuable data to their efforts.
Conclusion: M-Lab’s Continued Commitment to Open Internet Measurement
M-Lab’s 2023 achievements demonstrate its commitment to providing valuable data and tools for understanding and improving the internet. The initiatives planned for 2024 promise further advancements in internet measurement research and contribute to a more informed understanding of internet quality. M-Lab’s dedication to open data and collaboration continues to drive positive change in the internet ecosystem. For more information or to get involved, contact [email protected].
