Age of information using Markov-renewal methods (Q6163556)

Based on a message transmission and processing system, suppose that the incoming data items, labeled by an index \(j \in J\), pass through an inspection process, deciding whether a current information package \(j\) can be accepted, \(\phi(j)(j)=1\), for further use, or must be discarded, \(\phi(j)=0\). Here, the mapping \(f=f(j)\) denotes the corresponding decision operator. The whole transmission and processing model is assumed to involve different stochastic parameters and stochastic processes. An important concept for the analysis of message information and processing systems is the ``freshness of information'', \(\alpha=\alpha(t)\), with respect to a reference time \(t\), also referred to as ``age of information'' \(AoI(t)\). A possible definition of \(\alpha(t)\) at a reference time point \(t\) reads: \[ \alpha(t) :=t-\max_{t_j \leq t, f(j)=1, j\in J}t_j, \] where \(t_j\) denotes the time of an information item \(j\) arriving and evaluated up to a reference time point \(t\). Under different assumptions on the stochastic information transmission and evaluation process, the properties of \(AoI(t)\), e.g., its probability distribution are considered. Moreover, several numerical examples are provided.