A Model for Cooperative Mobility and Budgeted QoS in MANETs with Heterogenous Autonomy Requirements

Modern mobile ad-hoc networks (MANETs) frequently consist of nodes which exhibit a wide range of autonomy needs. This is particularly true in the settings where MANETs are most compelling, i.e. battlefield, response & rescue, and contexts requiring rapid deployment of mobile users. The time-critical nature of the underlying circumstances frequently requires deployment of both manned and unmanned nodes, and a coordination structure which provides prioritized tasking to them. Unlike consumer MANETs, these settings bring with them a common group purpose, making inter-node cooperation plausible. In this paper, we focus on how cooperation can improve MANET communications. We begin by taxonomizing all prior approaches and noting that no existing approach adequately captures networks where nodes exhibit a wide range of autonomy with respect to their mobility. To this end we present a new cooperative mobility model, developing a cost- benefit framework which enables us to explore the impact of cooperation in MANETs where nodes are, to varying extents, willing to move for the common good. In the second half of the paper, we describe the design of CoopSim, a platform for conducting simulation experiments to evaluate the impact of parameter, policy and algorithm choices on any system based on the proposed model. Finally, we present a small but illustrative case study and use the experimental evidence derived from it to give an initial evaluation of the merits of the proposed model and the efficacy of the CoopSim software.