VGrid/VMesh: Distributed Sensing and Computing with Vehicular Ad Hoc Networks

Dipak Ghosal, Chen-Nee Chuah, and Michael Zhang
Technical Report ECE-CE-2004-9,

Computer Engineering Research Laboratory (CERL),

University of California, Davis

Abstract:

In addition to low cost and robust wireless communication devices, vehicles can also be equipped with storage, processing, and sensing capability. An ad hoc network of such vehicles can provide a number of important networking, computing, and sensing primitives. First, using local storage, each vehicle can act as a store-and-forward mobile router and an ad hoc network of vehicles can form an intelligent transit network. Second, using the local processing capability, an ad hoc network of vehicles can form an on-demand and dynamic grid computing engine. Third, with the sensing capability, the vehicles can together function as a distributed mobile sensor network. In this research project, we will address the software architecture, the networking protocols, and related algorithms that can enable these capabilities for novel higher level applications. The technical merits of the proposed research are the following:

• [VGrid: Ad Hoc Grid Computing] In this application, the vehicles in a particular geographic area can form an ad hoc grid computing engine. A novel application of such a grid computer is to compute the appropriate flow characteristics of the vehicles that participate in the grid computing platform. One unique characteristics of such a self-referential system is that it is just-in-time, i.e., the processing capacity of the grid computer increases with congestion precisely when it is needed. As part of this research, we will develop the software architecture, the networking protocols, and the resource management algorithms to create the grid computing engine. New challenges arise due to the dynamic nature of the grid as both the topology and the node membership change with time. Through simulation and analysis we will investigate the effectiveness of this approach to control lane merging and homogenization of vehicular traffic flows with the goal to minimize congestion delays and maximize throughput. We will also investigate the required degree of penetration to make such a system effective.
• [VMesh: Mobile Transit and Sensor Network] In this application, we consider vehicles both as mobile routers to interconnect a fixed infrastructure of gateways as well as mobile sensors. Collectively, the vehicles can form an intelligent transit network between the gateways and/or a distributed mobile sensor network. A novel application of such a transit network is to enable dynamic pricing of utility based on demand. Specifically, users utility usage data can be collected by mobile routers from aggregation points and delivered to gateways to the utility provider. The price determined by the utility provider can be delivered to the users from the utility gateways to the distribution points using the transit network. A novel application of the mobile sensor network is to track mobile targets. As part of this research we will study characteristics of the transit network which will depend not only on the type and density of vehicles used but also on the characteristics of the vehicular traffic flow. We will investigate various deflection routing algorithms that can minimize delay and maximize data success rate across the transit network depending on characteristics of the vehicular traffic flow. We will investigate how the percolation of the sensing function can be controlled in a distributed dynamic mobile sensor network with the goal to track mobile targets.

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Reference

Dipak Ghosal, Chen-Nee Chuah, and Michael Zhang. "VGrid/VMesh: Distributed Sensing and Computing with Vehicular Ad Hoc Networks". Technical Report ECE-CE-2004-9, Computer Engineering Research Laboratory, University of California, Davis, December 2004.

BibTeX entry

@TechReport{GCZ:Vgrid:2004:9,
  author = {Dipak Ghosal, Chen-Nee Chuah, and Michael Zhang},

  title = {VGrid/VMesh: Distributed Sensing and Computing with Vehicular Ad Hoc Networks},

  institution =	{Computer Engineering Research Laboratory (CERL), University of California, Davis},
  year = 2004,
  number = {ECE-CE-2004-9},
  note = {\url{http://www.ece.ucdavis.edu/cerl/techreports/2004-9/}},
}