Realistic Mobility for MANET Simulation

In order to conduct meaningful performance analysis of routing algorithms in the context of Mobile Ad Hoc Networks (MANET), it is essential that the underlying mobility model on which the simulation is based reflects realistic mobility behavior. However, current mobility models for MANET simulation are either unrealistic or are tailor-made for particular scenarios. Furthermore, none of the existing mobility models support heterogeneous mobility behavior among different mobile nodes in the simulation. This thesis introduces GEMM, a tool for generating mobility models that are both realistic and heterogeneous. These models are capable of simulating complex and dynamic mobility patterns representative of real-world situations. The input to GEMM is a set of model descriptions and the output is a mobility scenario that can be used by either the Glomosim or NS2 network simulator. Simulation results are presented using AODV, OLSR and ZRP, three previously published MANET routing algorithms. These results illustrate that mobility-model changes have a significant impact on their performance. The results underscore the importance of using realistic mobility scenarios in MANET simulation and demonstrate the ability of GEMM to generate such mobility scenarios.