Transformation and animation of mobility traces

A method for transforming mobility traces of a mobile ad-hoc network (MANET) into a virtual network topology and for graphically animating and editing them is described in this paper. Examples of heterogeneous mobility traces used in this study were generally time-stamped positions of each participating node in a MANET, but they were structured differently in diverse file formats and came from different sources. The files storing the traces presented in this paper consisted of ldquotickrdquo files created by Sparta, Inc.; Qualnet/Glomosim files generated from the Web-based generic mobility simulation framework (GMSF); ldquoAHASrdquo files taken from field exercises; and internally produced topology-definition files storing specifications for creating a virtual network topology. The presented method enables the use of externally generated mobility traces to serve three major research purposes: (1) providing a graphical aid in the study of movement patterns, (2) animating a dynamic network topology, and (3) creating derivatives to fit a particular need using a topology-definition tool that was developed by the U.S. Army Research Laboratory (ARL) called the ARL Topodef Tool. Detailed data structures of the transformed mobility traces and screenshots of their network topologies are also included in this paper. The method was recently implemented and added to the ARL Topodef tool to provide its users a way to leverage existing resources and re-use mobility traces, and thus it reduced internal development effort and enabled the try-out of mobility scenarios developed by others more conveniently.