Efficient traffic congestion detection protocol for next generation VANETs

In large and highly populated downtown areas, traffic congestion is becoming a challenging problem. This work proposes an Efficient road COngestion DEtection protocol (ECODE). This protocol intends to detect road segments that are suffering high traffic congestion using cooperative vehicular communication. It uses multi-hop communication and geocast principles to gather and analyze vehicles´ basic data per road segment. Each vehicle can evaluate and report its road segment´s congestion level per direction efficiently. This protocol is discussed and reported on its performance compared to previous techniques in this field, using an extensive set of scenarios and experiments implemented on NS-2.