How to Start Vehicular Sensor Network Projects Using NS3

To start a Vehicular Sensor Network (VSN) project using NS3 that includes configuring a network of vehicles are furnished with sensors, which can interact with each other (Vehicle-to-Vehicle, V2V) or with infrastructure (Vehicle-to-Infrastructure, V2I). VSNs are normally utilized within applications such as traffic monitoring, accident prevention, and environmental sensing. We can replicate the VSNs to utilize modules for communication such as WiFi (specifically 802.11p for Dedicated Short-Range Communication, DSRC) and mobility models replicating the realistic vehicle movement in NS3.

Below is a series of steps that helps you to setting up a basic VSN project in NS3.

Steps to Simulate VSN Projects in NS3

  1. Install NS3
  1. Download and Install NS3 if we don’t already install it:

git clone https://gitlab.com/nsnam/ns-3-dev.git ns-3

cd ns-3

./waf configure –enable-examples –enable-tests

./waf build

  1. Confirm Installation by executing a basic instance like WiFi example:

./waf –run=wifi-simple-adhoc

  1. Understand Vehicular Sensor Network Components

Below are primary modules for a VSN:

  • Vehicle Nodes: Nodes to denote the vehicles that are furnished with sensors.
  • Roadside Units (RSUs): Infrastructure nodes located over roads gathering the data from vehicles or interact with them.
  • Communication Protocols: For vehicular networks, DSRC (IEEE 802.11p) is generally utilized by reason of their ability to manage the high mobility.
  • Mobility Models: For vehicles, realistic movement patterns are critical for VSN simulations utilizing models such as ConstantVelocityMobilityModel or RandomWaypointMobilityModel.
  1. Set Up Basic Vehicular Network Topology with 802.11p

Configure interaction among the vehicle nodes utilizing the WifiHelper module including the 802.11p standard. It allows V2V communication along with features same to DSRC.

Example: Set up V2V Communication with 802.11p

This instance illustrates a basic vehicular network in which several vehicles communicate to utilize 802.11p (DSRC).

#include “ns3/core-module.h”

#include “ns3/network-module.h”

#include “ns3/internet-module.h”

#include “ns3/wifi-module.h”

#include “ns3/mobility-module.h”

#include “ns3/applications-module.h”

using namespace ns3;

int main(int argc, char *argv[]) {

CommandLine cmd;

cmd.Parse(argc, argv);

// Create vehicle nodes

NodeContainer vehicleNodes;

vehicleNodes.Create(5); // Five vehicles in the network

// Set up 802.11p (DSRC) communication

YansWifiChannelHelper channel = YansWifiChannelHelper::Default();

YansWifiPhyHelper phy = YansWifiPhyHelper::Default();

phy.SetChannel(channel.Create());

WifiHelper wifi;

wifi.SetStandard(WIFI_PHY_STANDARD_80211p);

WifiMacHelper mac;

mac.SetType(“ns3::AdhocWifiMac”); // Ad-hoc mode for V2V communication

NetDeviceContainer devices = wifi.Install(phy, mac, vehicleNodes);

// Install Internet stack on vehicles

InternetStackHelper internet;

internet.Install(vehicleNodes);

// Assign IP addresses

Ipv4AddressHelper address;

address.SetBase(“10.1.1.0”, “255.255.255.0”);

Ipv4InterfaceContainer interfaces = address.Assign(devices);

// Set up mobility for vehicle nodes

MobilityHelper mobility;

mobility.SetPositionAllocator(“ns3::GridPositionAllocator”,

“MinX”, DoubleValue(0.0),

“MinY”, DoubleValue(0.0),

“DeltaX”, DoubleValue(10.0),

“DeltaY”, DoubleValue(0.0),

“GridWidth”, UintegerValue(5),

“LayoutType”, StringValue(“RowFirst”));

mobility.SetMobilityModel(“ns3::ConstantVelocityMobilityModel”);

// Set speed for each vehicle node

for (uint32_t i = 0; i < vehicleNodes.GetN(); ++i) {

Ptr<Node> node = vehicleNodes.Get(i);

node->GetObject<ConstantVelocityMobilityModel>()->SetVelocity(Vector(20.0, 0.0, 0.0)); // 20 m/s

}

mobility.Install(vehicleNodes);

// Set up UDP echo applications to simulate sensor data exchange

uint16_t port = 9;

UdpEchoServerHelper echoServer(port);

ApplicationContainer serverApp = echoServer.Install(vehicleNodes.Get(0)); // First vehicle as the server

serverApp.Start(Seconds(1.0));

serverApp.Stop(Seconds(10.0));

UdpEchoClientHelper echoClient(interfaces.GetAddress(0), port);

echoClient.SetAttribute(“MaxPackets”, UintegerValue(10));

echoClient.SetAttribute(“Interval”, TimeValue(Seconds(1.0)));

echoClient.SetAttribute(“PacketSize”, UintegerValue(1024));

for (uint32_t i = 1; i < vehicleNodes.GetN(); ++i) {

ApplicationContainer clientApp = echoClient.Install(vehicleNodes.Get(i));

clientApp.Start(Seconds(2.0 + i));

clientApp.Stop(Seconds(10.0));

}

Simulator::Run();

Simulator::Destroy();

return 0;

}

  1. Set Up Roadside Units (RSUs) for V2I Communication

If we need to contain V2I communication then appends RSUs as static nodes over the road. Vehicles can transmit data to RSUs that perform like a bridge to external networks.

Example:

NodeContainer rsuNodes;

rsuNodes.Create(1); // One roadside unit

MobilityHelper rsuMobility;

rsuMobility.SetMobilityModel(“ns3::ConstantPositionMobilityModel”);

rsuMobility.Install(rsuNodes);

  1. Configure Mobility Models

Replicate the vehicle movement or import mobility traces from real-world data utilizing realistic mobility models such as ConstantVelocityMobilityModel for complex situations.

Example:

MobilityHelper mobility;

mobility.SetMobilityModel(“ns3::RandomWalk2dMobilityModel”,

“Bounds”, RectangleValue(Rectangle(-50, 50, -25, 50)));

mobility.Install(vehicleNodes);

  1. Implement Applications for Sensor Data Transmission

Replicate periodic transmission of sensor data to utilize applications such as OnOffApplication, UdpEchoApplication, or custom applications. Vehicles can propagate occasionally or transmit sensor data to other vehicles or RSUs.

Example with OnOffApplication:

OnOffHelper onOff(“ns3::UdpSocketFactory”, InetSocketAddress(interfaces.GetAddress(1), port));

onOff.SetAttribute(“DataRate”, StringValue(“200Kbps”));

onOff.SetAttribute(“PacketSize”, UintegerValue(512));

ApplicationContainer onOffApp = onOff.Install(vehicleNodes.Get(0));

onOffApp.Start(Seconds(2.0));

onOffApp.Stop(Seconds(10.0));

  1. Collect and Analyze Performance Metrics

In VSNs, significant performance parameters comprise:

  • Packet Delivery Ratio: Reliability of data delivery between travelling vehicles.
  • Latency: Delay within data transmission, which is vital for applications such as collision avoidance.
  • Throughput: We can assess the data rate over the network that particularly for V2I interaction.
  • Interference and Signal Strength: Measure the high-density environments on signal quality effect.

Accumulate performance data to utilize FlowMonitor:

FlowMonitorHelper flowmon;

Ptr<FlowMonitor> monitor = flowmon.InstallAll();

monitor->SerializeToXmlFile(“vsn-flowmon.xml”, true, true);

  1. Visualize and Analyze Results
  • NetAnim: Envision the vehicle movement, data exchange, and interaction range utilizing NetAnim.
  • Trace Analysis: Examine packet transmissions, delays, and losses with the help of NS3 trace files.
  • Graphing Tools: To transfer data plotting parameters such as throughput, latency, and packet delivery ratio.
  1. Experiment with Advanced VSN Scenarios

When the basics are configured then we test more advanced situations:

  • Dynamic Routing Protocols: In V2V networks, we can utilize AODV or OLSR for multi-hop routing to allow data forwarding through vehicles.
  • High-Density Traffic Scenarios: Experiment the performance of VSN in high-traffic conditions like traffic jams or city scenarios.
  • Real-World Mobility Models: Introduce real traffic data or utilize SUMO (Simulation of Urban Mobility) replicating the realistic vehicle behavior.
  • Collision Avoidance and Emergency Applications: Execute the applications to replicate emergency situations, for collision avoidance in which vehicles transmit safety messages.

We discussed the outline of Vehicular Sensor Network projects in sequence that includes stepwise procedure with examples using NS3 environment. We can distribute more detailed information relevant to this project if required.

To kick off your Vehicular Sensor Network Projects using the NS3 tool, we can provide you with a unique and well-suited topic. Just send your project details to phdprojects.org, and we’ll help you achieve outstanding results. For communication, including WiFi (specifically 802.11p for Dedicated Short-Range Communication, DSRC), and mobility models that accurately simulate vehicle movement in NS3, we’re here to guide you toward the best outcomes.