# Software Architecture for Mobile Cloud Computing Systems
## 7 Past and Emerging Trends of Research on Architecting Mobile Cloud Software
### Emerging and Futuristic Trends of Research  
Based on the historical progression, we now answer RQ-6, which highlights the emerging research that reflects potential futuristic solutions. Before discussing the future needs of the architectural solutions for MCC systems, we must also discuss some important quality attributes (also known as nonfunctional/architectural properties) that need to be accommodated in the software architecture for MCC systems [31]. Specifically, these quality attributes ensure that, in addition to the core functionality, the quality in the architecture is also preserved at the system design phase. **Quality Attributes/Architectural Properties of MCC Software Systems:** As illustrated in Figure 8, both the cloud and mobile systems have some distinct attributes of software quality. This means during the architectural-driven design and development process, the quality attributes from both the mobile and cloud computing needs to be accommodated in the software architecture. The highlighted quality attributes only represent a subset of all the possible attributes with extended details found in [13]. For example, the system elasticity attribute refers to the ability of any cloud-based server to be elastic (i.e., dynamic addition or removal of resources) corresponding the variations of the workload on the server. In the case of mobile cloud-based real-time analytics of the crowd sensed data (e.g., traffic flow, environmental conditions), any increase in the demand for the analytics must by supported by the addition of the required memory and computational resources [32][S46]. Similarly, those resources can be released or degraded whenever not in use. In comparison, the quality attribute of context awareness for mobile computing requires that architecture must support the hardware resources (e.g., device sensors, actuators) to exploit the context awareness such as the location, time, and environmental conditions [S70]. Ideally, any software architecture that unifies the mobile and cloud computing technologies must support the quality attributes relevant to both these technologies. In addition to the distinct set of quality attributes as illustrated in Figure 8, there are some generic attributes of the quality that are relevant to both the cloud and mobile computing technologies. For example, the attributes of system connectivity/availability require that the systems are continuously connected to ensure a seamless working of the MCC system. This means that any futuristic solutions should explicitly address the quality attributes, as a lack of quality also impacts the core functionality of the software systems [31]. Additional details about the quality attributes for the MCC systems are provided in [3; 13]. As highlighted in Figure 5, these solutions started to emerge in 2014 and are now gaining momentum, which includes:  
**Mobile-Cloud driven Internet of Things (IoTs)** defines one of the emerging research areas that exploits interconnected mobile-devices as a portable and context-aware ecosystem of devices as connected things [S81; 84]. A recent study on the current state of the IoT has highlighted that approximately 25 billion devices will be connected to the internet of things by 2020 [33]. The IoT-based systems are fast emerging as a disruptive technology and an enabling platform--interconnecting humans, systems, services, devices, and things--to ensure a connected world with improved lifestyle, enhanced urban services, work practices, and interactions [17]. The MCC systems with context-awareness and portability coupled with virtually unlimited storage and processing capabilities provide an ideal opportunity to implement IoTs. In recent years, crowdsourcing [S84] and analytics for mobile sensor data [S70] represent practical cases of MCC driven IoTs. For futuristic efforts, the MCC systems can seamlessly provide the 'anytime, anywhere connectivity' of all the things to create technical and socio-economic opportunities [33].