Design of 3-Dimensional Wireless Vehicular Ad Hoc Networks for Civil and Military Applications

Abstract

In this paper, we analyze, design, develop and evaluate 3-dimensional (3-D) wireless vehicular ad hoc network that is applicable to both civil applications and mission critical military applications. Furthermore, we present secure and privacy-aware communication techniques for 3-D vehicular wireless ad hoc networks. The main motivation of this work is that recent studies have shown that the road/traffic accidents and congestion are one of the major problems being faced in the US and all over the world. According to US Department of Transportation, road accidents and traffic jams result in over a billion dollars in lost work hours and fuel. According to National Highway Traffic and Safety Administration, (refer to http://www-fars.nhtsa.dot.gov) in 2012 there were 31,561 total fatalities due to road accidents. With the implementation of real-time information dissemination techniques using wireless networks, it is expected to help reduce road accidents and fuel consumption by providing timely information. With the implementation of autonomous communication systems between vehicles, either on the ground or in the air, it is possible to relay vital information that will save lives. Wireless communication is regarded as a backbone for the Intelligent Transportation System (ITS) to provide upcoming traffic information for safety and to support infotainment applications for passengers. Furthermore, we investigate the wireless communication requirement for real-time vehicular communications with security and low delay. With the successful implementation of reliable and trustworthy information dissemination mechanism, 3-D ad hoc network will help save fuel, money, time and lives. We also present an integration of vehicular ad hoc networks (VANETs – network of vehicles on the road) with UAV (flying vehicular) networks to form 3-D wireless network (as a proof of concept). We present numerical results obtained from simulations and experiments to support our claims. We present a point to multipoint, or mesh network, for 3-dimensional wireless vehicular ad hoc networks.