Mobility Models for UAV Group Reconnaissance Applications

In MANET research the mobility of the nodes is often described using standard synthetic models. Given a particular application, e.g. networks of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) performing a cooperative task, the use of a standard synthetic mobility model can result in incorrect conclusions, as the movement pattern can impact the networking performance of the system. In this paper we present the criteria that characterize desirable mobility properties for the movement of UAVs in a reconnaissance scenario, and provide two mobility models for the scenario. In the first mobility model the UAVs move independently and randomly, and in the second model pheromones guide their movement. The random model is very simple but it achieves mediocre results. The pheromone model has very good scanning properties, but it has problems with respect to network connectivity. The study shows that there in an inherent conflict between the two goals of maximum coverage by frequent rescanning and adequate communication connectivity.