Integrated networking simulation environment for vehicular networks

Vehicular communication is regarded as a key technology in improving road safety. The most promising approach is the creation of Vehicular Ad Hoc Networks (VANETs), autonomous networks managed without any fixed infrastructure. Because of their specific properties and range of applications, VANETs require the development of new wireless communication standards and protocols, and routing in VANETs is still a challenging issue. We present here a realistic networking simulator for VANETs, in which two existing protocols are combined for increased routing efficiency. We first present the state of the art regarding VANETs and the concerned protocols. Then we focus on the implementation of the project, before analyzing the simulation results. We conclude that this combination of protocols is promising enough to bring future research in this direction and perhaps lead to an effective implementation.