A routing strategy for a vehicular network

Abstract

Increasing vehicle safety and maximizing traffic flow efficiency has become top priority for developed countries around the world. With the Introduction of Intelligent Transport Systems (ITS), a sizeable amount of research is continuously going towards achieving that goal. Having an effective Vehicle Ad-Hoe Network (VANET) is imperative to manage and organize the future transportation systems. By using existing communications systems concepts, a new standard was created specifically for such environments. By adapting to the unique vehicular environment, the new wireless protocol provides significantly reduced transmission times, high packet delivery ratios, and fast throughput. This dissertation proposes a communications strategy that uses geographical information for packet routing, and a backup infrastructure system with strategically placed access points. This hybrid network aims to be efficient, fast, and reliable to meet all VANET specifications. The proposed routing protocol was implemented and tested on a suitable simulation platform, which combines a network simulator and a traffic simulator using a bi directional coupling framework. This ensures a realistic environment for both network traffic and node mobility characteristics. The collected data was compared to a traditional infrastructure network so that the results could be analysed, and conclusions drawn.