Location: Geethanjali College of Engineering and Technology, Hyderabad
Program: Advanced Internet Operations Research in India (AIORI) Regional Faculty Workshop
Associated Partner: Internet Society – India Kolkata Chapter
On July 24, 2025, Geethanjali College of Engineering and Technology in Hyderabad served as the vibrant host for a highly engaging AIORI Regional Faculty Workshop. In addition to the host institution, faculty and students from several leading engineering colleges across Hyderabad participated, including CVR College of Engineering, Malla Reddy Engineering College, Malla Reddy Engineering College for Women, Muffakham Jah College of Engineering and Technology, ACE Engineering College, G. Narayanamma Institute of Technology and Science, Institute of Aeronautical Engineering, Chaitanya Bharathi Institute of Technology, Methodist College of Engineering and Technology, Sphoorthy Engineering College, and Sreenidhi Institute of Science and Technology. Their participation underscored the workshop’s regional impact and the growing academic interest in strengthening India’s digital infrastructure through standardized measurement practices.
The workshop successfully brought together an enthusiastic group of faculty, sharp students, and leading internet experts for an intensive day of collaborative learning and technical demonstration, powerfully showcasing AIORI’s commitment to bridging high-level academic knowledge with high-impact practical research initiatives.
Engineering a Resilient Digital Future
The day commenced with a warm and highly motivating welcome session. The speakers emphasized the critical importance of exposing engineering students to the real-world applications of internet engineering. They directly encouraged participants to move beyond theoretical knowledge and gain a profound understanding of the protocols, routing mechanisms, and governance frameworks that are essential for ensuring a secure, efficient, and resilient internet for the entire nation.
The first essential technical session was expertly led by Mr. Anand Raje (Chair, Internet Society – India Kolkata Chapter). He presented an in-depth exploration of AIORI’s mission, clearly highlighting the systemic importance of distributed measurement in accurately diagnosing and optimizing network performance across the country. Mr. Raje introduced students and faculty to core technical concepts such as latency measurement and routing efficiency analysis.
Crucially, Mr. Raje then demonstrated how “Raspberry Pi–based AIORI Anchors” are strategically deployed across academic institutions. These compact measurement nodes collect consistent, high-quality, and actionable data, which then feeds into a national observability framework. A total of 22 AIORI Anchors were deployed as part of this initiative, marking another meaningful step in expanding India’s collaborative measurement efforts. This segment emphasized the profound practical impact of student and faculty participation, illustrating how small-scale, localized measurement devices generate critical insights that ultimately inform national policy and drive infrastructure improvements across the vast Indian landscape.
Mobilizing Ambassadors and Informing Policy
The first essential technical session was expertly led by Mr. Anand Raje (Chair, Internet Society – India Kolkata Chapter). He presented an in-depth exploration of AIORI’s mission and highlighted how distributed measurement through Raspberry Pi–based AIORI Anchors is being adopted across academic institutions such as Geethanjali College, CVR College of Engineering, GNITS, and Sphoorthy Engineering College. These anchors collect consistent, high-quality, and actionable data that feed into national observability frameworks, helping inform infrastructure improvements and policy decisions.
Following the technical groundwork, Mr. Anupam Agrawal (Chair, IIFON) conducted a focused and energizing session centered on the AIORI Ambassadors program, hackathon orientation, and forthcoming student workshops. Students and faculty from participating colleges—including SNIST, CBIT, Institute of Aeronautical Engineering, and Muffakham Jah College—were provided clear pathways to contribute to AIORI initiatives, engage in documentation efforts, and become local ambassadors for internet measurement and standards.
Discussions informed by the frameworks of MeitY and NIXI highlighted the critical interconnectedness of policy, measurement, and standardization across the digital ecosystem. These conversations emphasized how the collaborative participation of colleges across Hyderabad strengthens the broader national mission.
Hands-On Learning and Global Standards
A major highlight of the day was the live technical demonstration of AIORI Anchors, again led by Mr. Anand Raje. Students and faculty—particularly those from institutions deploying or preparing to deploy measurement nodes, such as Geethanjali, CVR, GNITS, Sphoorthy, and the Malla Reddy institutions—observed firsthand how Raspberry Pi nodes collect and process real-time network metrics. This hands-on experience reinforced how theoretical classroom knowledge translates into practical network monitoring workflows.
A subsequent session on engagement with the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF), conducted by Mr. Anupam Agrawal, introduced students and faculty from all participating universities to global standardization processes. He demonstrated how they can contribute to IETF drafts and working groups, offering a pathway for local engineering talent to influence global protocols.
5th Regional Faculty Workshop – HYDERABAD
The workshop at Geethanjali College of Engineering and Technology on 24 July 2025 attracted 23 faculty members from 11 engineering institutions. The AIORI 2 Ambassador Program was highlighted by the recognition of Sritulasi Adigopula as the AIORI Ambassador for the region. Utilizing their new skills, the trained faculty members successfully conducted two national student workshops, reinforcing the AIORI Measurement Network across the region.
Commitment to the Digital Ecosystem
The workshop concluded with a reflective closing session and certificate distribution ceremony, formally recognizing participants from all attending institutions, including Geethanjali, CVR, GNITS, SNIST, CBIT, Sphoorthy, ACE, Muffakham Jah College, Institute of Aeronautical Engineering, and the Malla Reddy group. The overwhelming enthusiasm underscored the success of AIORI’s mission: to educate future engineers about fundamental Internet Standards and empower them to actively take part in strengthening India’s digital infrastructure.
The strategic deployment of AIORI Anchors at several of these colleges further illustrated the essential role of distributed measurement in reinforcing Internet Standards and governance.
As an Associate Partner, the Internet Society – India Kolkata Chapter expresses pride in supporting this workshop and in collaborating with institutions across Hyderabad to build a technically empowered next generation of engineers and researchers.
