Design and Implementation of a Simulation Environment for hybrid Vehicle Adhoc Networks

Mobile communication deployed in road traffic enables the wireless and ubiquitous exchange of information between traffic participants. This so called Car-2-Car-Communication establishes a very new field in the area of modern Information and Communication Technology.

Vehicles on the road network together with Roadside Units use Car-2-Car-Communication to set up spontaneous WLAN networks. Due to fast moving vehicles and varying environments information dissemination has to cope with this rapidly changing network topology. Currently, much research is performed in developing novel algorithms and technologies in this area.

In order to study benefits and drawbacks of these novel algorithms and technologies simulation can be an appropriate tool. By nature simulation environments have to model the underlying aspect applying simplifications and restrictions. Current simulation environments for network simulations are originated from and conceived for dedicated fields of operation and therefore have very specific constraints which are often implicitly defined and hence unknown.

Objective of this project will be the development of a novel simulation environment for VANETs. This includes the conception, state of the art analysis, design, implementation and test of the software. In order to integrate real data and verify simulation results the simulation environment will be open for virtual as well as physical vehicles. This fact should be transparent to the applications that will be tested in the simulation environment. In this sense a real vehicle might see a number of other vehicles in the vicinity that may also be real or simulated in the simulation environment. The simulation environment will focus on different scenarios which will be rural areas without obstacles, urban areas
with huge number of obstacles, areas with lots of vehicles, etc. Recommended qualification:

Vehicle Networks lecture in WS 2008/2009 This is an external thesis topic, i.e. it is expected to work for about 3-4 months on the topic at the

Institute of Communications and Navigation at DLR which is located in Oberpfaffenhofen near Munich. Please contact the supervisor to discuss the procedure if you are interested in this topic.