NeTS: Small: A Timing Perspective on Information Dissemination in Vehicular Adhoc Networks

North Carolina State University, Raleigh NC

Investigators

Abstract

This project focuses on the theoretical foundations for vehicular ad hoc networks (VANETs), which have emerged as a radically new paradigm for the design of networking protocols, mobility models, and a variety of new applications. This technology has its roots in on-board sensors in vehicles, global position systems (GPS) receivers, and algorithms/protocols for ad hoc networks, which enable vehicle-to-vehicle communications without infrastructure equipment (e.g., base stations in cellular systems). A fundamental yet open issue is addressed: how rapidly and efficiently can information be disseminated in a vehicular ad hoc network? To address the unique challenges presented by mobility-induced time dynamics, a complimentary approach of networking analysis and physical channel exploitation is employed. The project focuses on three issues: (1) Development and analysis of new measures of connection times among vehicles in percolated VANETs, in contrast to traditional measures of network connectivity. (2) Exploration of the impact of fading-induced channel variation on network performance and development of new fading prediction-aided routing mechanisms that integrate adaptive transmission techniques, e.g. rate and relay selection. (3) Identification of the theoretical time limits of information dissemination and capacity-delay trade-offs when nodes move at high speeds and in highly dynamic vehicular networks. As vehicular communications advance large-scale and social networks, this project addresses an acute and timely demand for exploring fundamental principles of mobility-induced channels and network dynamics, which have not been studied systematically, but have tremendous impact on routing protocol designs, optimization techniques for performance analysis and estimation, and modeling of network architecture and topology.