Abstract

In this paper, we illustrate a Mobile Wireless Vehicular Environment Simulation (MoVES) framework for the parallel and distributed simulation of vehicular wireless ad hoc networks (VANETs). The proposed framework supports extensible, module-based and layered modeling, and scalable, accurate and efficient simulation of vehicular scenarios integrated with wireless communication and mobile services/applications. The vehicular layer includes models for vehicles, synthetic and trace-driven mobility, driver behavior, GPS-based street maps, intersection policies and traffic lights. The wireless communication layer currently includes models for physical propagation, and a network protocol stack including IEEE 802.11 Medium Access Control, up to the Application layer. MoVES provides a platform for microscopic modeling and simulation-based analysis of wireless vehicular scenarios and communication-based services and applications, like Intelligent Transportation Systems, communication-based monitoring/control and info-mobility services. The framework includes design solutions for scalable, accurate and efficient parallel and distributed simulation of complex, vehicular communication scenarios executed over cost-effective, commercial-off-the-shelf (COTS) simulation architectures. Dynamic model partition and adaptation-based load balancing solutions have been designed by exploiting common assumptions and model characteristics, in a user-transparent way. Test-bed performance evaluation for realistic scenarios has shown the effectiveness of MoVES in terms of simulation efficiency, scalability, adaptation and simulation accuracy.

Keywords: Wireless vehicular ad hoc networks; Parallel and distributed simulation; Intelligent transportation systems; Mobile services; Mobile communication

Article Outline

1. Introduction

2. Related work

3. The parallel and distributed simulation architecture

3.1. Motivation and previous work

3.2. The PADS architecture description

4. Design and implementation of MoVES framework

4.1. Time-stepped synchronization scheme

4.2. Simulation performance issues

4.3. Communication and computation overhead reduction

4.3.1. Terminology

4.3.2. MoVES I: Communication and computation overhead reduction

4.3.3. MoVES II: Communication and computation overhead reduction

4.4. Dynamic communication- and computation-load balancing

4.4.1. MoVES I: Dynamic communication and computation load balancing

4.4.2. MoVES II: Dynamic communication- and computation-load balancing

4.5. ARTIS migration heuristics

4.5.1. The ARTIS communication overhead reduction (COR) heuristic

4.5.2. The ARTIS load balancing (LB) heuristic

5. Testbed models for vehicular and wireless scenarios

5.1. Vehicular model

5.2. Wireless model

6. Performance analysis

6.1. MoVES I vs. MoVES II implementations

6.2. Analysis of mobile vehicular scenarios

6.3. Analysis under mobile vehicular and wireless scenarios

7. Conclusions and future work

Acknowledgements

References

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