Mapping Technological Trajectories of Edge Computing: A Citation Graph Analysis.

The notion of edge computing has recently arisen as a potentially helpful advancement in distributed computing and communication infrastructure. To better understand the evolution and diffusion of technological knowledge in this field, we conducted a citation graph analysis of scholarly publications related to edge computing. Our study aims to identify the critical technological trajectories and research themes that have shaped the development and adoption of edge computing over time. We employ Main Path Analysis (MPA) to construct a citation graph using a comprehensive publications dataset from Web of Science (WoS) databases. We applied keyword co-occurrence analysis techniques to identify clusters of research topics and their interconnections. Occurrence cluster analysis results indicate that current research in edge computing is primarily centered around the architecture of edge computing, high-speed networks, mobile edge computing, computing systems, and blockchain and security technologies. We also identified the significant papers and contributors in the edge computing field and their impact on the technological trajectory of edge computing. The results reveal 35 significant papers that shape the emergence of four phases of the technology trajectory, including edge computing transition, architecture, edge future, and edge optimization.