Comparative analysis of internet topology data sets

Abstract

Several platforms continuously collect and provide Internet topology measurement data to the public. In this paper, we analyze the data provided by such public Internet topology measurement platforms. In particular, we analyze the router level probe data sets from USC/ISI Ant census, CAIDA Archipelago (Ark), UW information Plane (iPlane), Measurement Lab (M-Lab), and RIPE NCC Atlas and Autonomous System level BGP data sets from CAIDA, Internet Research Lab (IRL), and CIDR. We provide insights into the characteristics of the platforms and the properties of the data sets sampled by these platforms. We further compare the topology coverage of these platforms.