An application-level framework for information dissemination and collection in vehicular networks

Mobility of wireless network nodes is increasingly regarded as a fundamental resource for future pervasive communication systems. In this paper, we leverage the movement of communication-enabled vehicles to implement an original Application-level Role Mobility (ARM) framework. ARM allows nodes to share a generic assignment, by handing each other the associated application-level role. The handover of the role is performed according to the mobility patterns of the vehicles, following rules that are specific to the objective of the application. We employ the ARM framework for two different tasks: dissemination of information to traveling cars, and data collection from road-side sensors. For each application, we provide dedicated role handover rules and show, via simulation, that ARM can successfully perform the required operations in a lightweight, fully distributed way.