• WP leader: Evidence and Experimentation (Serge Fdida)
• JRA3 Wiki

This working group focuses on methodologies for conducting experiments at the meeting points of various fields (e.g. computer science, physics, sociology, economics) in such a way as to allow extraction of useful and structured evidence, thereby increasing our understanding of the socio-technical phenomena that take place in or on the Internet. Experimentation combines with empiricism to provide and make useful a rich and compelling evidence base. Empirical data reflect the Internet (and associated systems) as it is; experimental methods extend this search into extended, modified and other counterfactual environments. The working group's core activities concern the identification, assessment and provision of a repository of tools and methodologies to measure and adequately represent Internet data (metrology) and information (mediametry) traffic, as well as existing available platforms (experimentation), including social testbeds. It will coordinate existing activities in this field, for instance in the experimental community related to FIRE. In particular, the working group will:

• Organize and assess the evidence base necessary to perform empirical and experimental validation and assessment of the scientific principles derived in JRA1 (Towards a Theory of Internet Science), and the emergence theories, designs, tools and methodologies derived in JRA2.
• Provide feedback to the above working groups in the form of empirical evidence and simulation results in order to extend the reach and guide the conduct of formal theory and designs.
• Measure unknown quantities, ranging from low-level parameters (such as packet loss), to high-level parameters such as quality of life enhancements and the concerns and impact of online media.
• Provide a base for standardised measures of Internet usage, for instance in terms of traffic and data types, e.g. for personal information.