Networking Simulation for Intelligent Transportation Systems

10Autonomic Computing and VANETs: Simulation of a QoS-based Communication Model

10.1. Introduction

The complexity of intelligent transportation systems (ITSs) management is growing. This is emphasized by the use of heterogeneous technologies, which enables different kinds of communications. Adapting the Autonomic Computing paradigm to ITSs and in particular to vehicular ad hoc networks (VANETs) in order to enhance the performance of communications in such changing environments is a challenging task. This approach can be applied to improve the performance of communication protocols, such as broadcasting methods. The broadcasting communication mode is widely used in VANETs for sending emergency messages and road-traffic information or to help routing protocols to determine routes. This communication mode is known to be difficult to achieve efficiently, as it depends on the network density. Indeed, broadcasting methods may cause network congestion if they are not well designed. This chapter introduces the application of Autonomic Computing principles within VANETs’ environments in order to enhance the performance of QoS-based communications thanks to the self-management concept. In such environments, the design of a QoS-based broadcasting protocol is presented as a usage case. A state of the art concerning the Autonomic Computing paradigm and its application in VANETs is first presented in section 10.2. Then, section 10.3 describes the existing broadcasting methods and protocols ...