Pervasive Internet Access by Vehicles through Satellite Receive-only Terminals

Ubiquitous Internet connectivity is very important in present environment. A lot of research has been done to extend Internet connectivity to vehicular ad hoc networks (VANETs). The biggest challenge to achieve this goal is the requirement of pervasive fully networked roadside infrastructure. This requirement is difficult to achieve especially during the initial deployment phase of vehicular networks and also in areas with scarce roadside infrastructure (such as along highways and in rural areas). This makes solutions that are solely dependent on roadside infrastructure impracticable to be implemented. Other solutions using cellular networks or symmetric satellite communication are either expensive or do not provide sufficient bandwidth. Further satellite communication suffers heavy losses in urban area and makes its use difficult in vehicular networks. We present a solution that complements the existing ones without requiring a fully networked roadside infrastructure. The solution uses satellite receive-only terminals and very few (widely spaced) roadside units to provide pervasive Internet connectivity. The solution is cost effective, incremental and practical. It can support TCP connection even when the uplink is interrupted for long durations of time. We present several different design options with varying degrees of error handling capabilities and different overheads and delays, which can be used according to the given environment

Pervasive Internet Access By Vehicles Through Satellite Receive Only Terminals

Ubiquitous Internet connectivity is very important in present environment. A lot of research has been done to extend Internet connectivity to vehicular ad hoc networks (VANETs). The biggest challenge to achieve this goal is the requirement of pervasive fully networked roadside infrastructure. This requirement is difficult to achieve especially during the initial deployment phase of vehicular networks and also in areas with scarce roadside infrastructure (such as along highways and in rural areas). This makes solutions that are solely dependent on roadside infrastructure impracticable to be implemented. Other solutions using cellular networks or symmetric satellite communication are either expensive or do not provide sufficient bandwidth. Further satellite communication suffers heavy losses in urban area and makes its use difficult in vehicular networks. We present a solution that complements the existing ones without requiring a fully networked roadside infrastructure. The solution uses satellite receive-only terminals and very few (widely spaced) roadside units to provide pervasive Internet connectivity. The solution is cost effective, incremental and practical. It can support TCP connection even when the uplink is interrupted for long durations of time. We present several different design options with varying degrees of error handling capabilities and different overheads and delays, which can be used according to the given environment. © 2009 IEEE

VANET-enabled eco-friendly road characteristics-aware routing for vehicular traffic

There is growing awareness of the dangers of climate change caused by greenhouse gases. In the coming decades this could result in numerous disasters such as heat-waves, flooding and crop failures. A major contributor to the total amount of greenhouse gas emissions is the transport sector, particularly private vehicles. Traffic congestion involving private vehicles also causes a lot of wasted time and stress to commuters. At the same time new wireless technologies such as Vehicular Ad-Hoc Networks (VANETs) are being developed which could allow vehicles to communicate with each other. These could enable a number of innovative schemes to reduce traffic congestion and greenhouse gas emissions. 1) EcoTrec is a VANET-based system which allows vehicles to exchange messages regarding traffic congestion and road conditions, such as roughness and gradient. Each vehicle uses the messages it has received to build a model of nearby roads and the traffic on them. The EcoTrec Algorithm then recommends the most fuel efficient route for the vehicles to follow. 2) Time-Ants is a swarm based algorithm that considers not only the amount of cars in the spatial domain but also the amoumt in the time domain. This allows the system to build a model of the traffic congestion throughout the day. As traffic patterns are broadly similar for weekdays this gives us a good idea of what traffic will be like allowing us to route the vehicles more efficiently using the Time-Ants Algorithm. 3) Electric Vehicle enhanced Dedicated Bus Lanes (E-DBL) proposes allowing electric vehicles onto the bus lanes. Such an approach could allow a reduction in traffic congestion on the regular lanes without greatly impeding the buses. It would also encourage uptake of electric vehicles. 4) A comprehensive survey of issues associated with communication centred traffic management systems was carried out