On developing smart applications for VANETs: Where are we now? some insights on technical issues and open problems

The advances in research on ad hoc networks, the availability of cheap radio interfaces (e.g. WiFi) and the increasing amount of electronic devices installed in vehicles have set the path for vehicular ad hoc networks. In the past few years, vehicular ad hoc network (VANET) research has addressed all layers, trying to optimize from the physical layer to the application layer to support the design of new possible application scenarios. It is often difficult to find a comprehensive approach to VANETs, due to their complexity. It is also often difficult to realize how far, technically, is the implementation of VANET-based application scenarios. We here propose to take one step in such direction, partially reviewing the research in this space and finding out how well can applications such as peer-to-peer file sharing and gaming can be supported. Our final scope is to provide an understanding of how far ahead in time, from the technological point of view, is the implementation of the cited scenarios on a distributed vehicular ad hoc network.