Modeling Vehicular Traffic and Mobility for Vehicular Wireless Networks

Ad-hoc wireless communication among highly dynamic, mobile nodes in a urban network is a critical capability for a wide range of important applications including automated vehicles, real-time traffic monitoring, and battleground communication. When evaluating application performance through simulation, a realistic mobility model for vehicular ad-hoc networks (VANETs) is critical for accurate results. This technical report discusses the implementation of STRAW, a new mobility model for VANETs in which nodes move according to a realistic vehicular traffic model on roads defined by real street map data. The challenge is to create a traffic model that accounts for individual vehicle motion without incurring significant overhead relative to the cost of performing the wireless network simulation. We identify essential and optional techniques for modeling vehicular motion that can be integrated into any wireless network simulator. We then detail choices we made in implementing STRAW.