The networking shape of vehicular mobility

Abstract

Mobility is the distinguishing feature of vehicular networks, affecting the evolution of network connectivity over space and time in a unique way. Connectivity dynamics, in turn, determine the performance of networking protocols, when they are employed in vehicle-based, large-scale communication systems. Thus, a key question in vehicular networking is: which effects does nodes mobility generate on the topology of a network built over vehicles? Surprisingly, such a question has been quite overlooked by the networking research community. In this paper, we present an in-depth analysis of the topological properties of a vehicular network, unveiling the physical reasons behind the peculiar connectivity dynamics generated by a number of mobility models. Results make one think about the validity of studies conducted under unrealistic car mobility and stimulate interesting considerations on how network protocols could take advantage of vehicular mobility to improve their performance.