Improving Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) through Analytical Investigation of Macroscopic Traffic Flow Model in Vehicular Ad Hoc Networks (Vanets)
Date
2018-03
Authors
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
University Of Ghana
Abstract
In recent times, wireless communication has witnessed unprecedented growth due mainly to advances in instrumentation and computer science. Substantial research efforts have been devoted to exploring the application of Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) within the context of vehicular ad hoc networks (VANETs) to ensure safety and for an efficient and integrated transport network. Vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) communication in VANETs poses many challenges. In sparse as well as in dense networks. V2V communication can result in intermittent connectivity and broadcast storm problems. Finding solutions to these challenges in an infrastructure-less vehicular ad hoc network (VANETs) with safety and non-safety applications is quite complex.
These limitations lead to the analytical investigations of the macroscopic traffic flow model to understand the effect of these spatio-temporal variations in traffic density while varying the value of the sensitivity factor for a two-vehicle interaction, λ at different time intervals during each simulation. The result from this simulation is used to develop Congestion Control Models in the congested network and Honeycomb Model in a sparsely connected network for improved performance in VANETs. The variation in the value of λ affects traffic flow in vehicles. The analytical investigation is implemented in MATLAB in which vehicular density is constant and the value of λ varies directly from 1 to 10 within the time intervals in sparse and dense network conditions. The simulation result in dense network indicates vehicular trajectories when λ increases with time.
The outcomes of this analytical investigation demonstrate that there is no need to increase λ beyond the thresholds of 12. However, further increases would increase the number of vehicles (nodes) which will result in a traffic jam. Empirical evidence suggests this range 1≤ λ ≤12 to be used to design traffic models in dense networks. These results in principle proved that this Congestion Control Model within the four-lane networks may be considered the most appropriate model to be used in designing VANETs networks. In the work, the following design parameters were used, A: 1 ≤ λ ≤ 3; B: 1≤ λ ≤ 4 and C: 1 ≤ λ ≤ 5. The level of services in A, B, and C, have been used to perform separate simulations in sparse networks. The simulation results also provide a framework to design sparse networks associated with frequent disconnections within the stated design parameters of A: 1 ≤ λ ≤ 3; B: 1 ≤ λ ≤ 4 and C: 1 ≤ λ ≤ 5. These findings lead to the proposed Honeycomb Models in a sparsely connected network to improve the challenges in sparse network conditions.
Finally, the result from this analytical investigation provide a scientific framework and further poses greater challenges to the research communities in designing vehicular traffic flow in VANETs. This research findings, reveal the possibilities to replicate the attributes of honeybees in designing vehicular traffic flow in VANETs. This novel approach significantly improves ITS applications in VANETs V2V communication.
Description
MPhil.
Keywords
Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS), Vehicular Ad Hoc Networks (Vanets), Macroscopic Traffic Flow