Assessing the Role of Routing Protocols and Propagation Models Under VANET for Intelligent Transportation Systems

With the growing emphasis on enhancing traffic flow, road safety, and the overall driving experience, Vehicular Ad-hoc Networks have become increasingly prominent, driven by advancements in Intelligent Transportation Systems. This research provides a comprehensive performance analysis of various VANET routing protocols and propagation models. The selection of an appropriate routing protocol along with the propagation model are critical to ensuring efficient data dissemination within VANETs. By leveraging realistic mobility patterns created using SUMO, this study evaluates three prominent routing protocols: Optimized Link State Routing, Ad-hoc On-demand Distance Vector, and Destination Sequenced Distance Vector, along with three propagation models: Free Space Path Loss, ITU-R P.1411, and Nakagami. The NS3 network simulator is employed to analyze network behavior by the performance metrics: Throughput, End-to-End Delay and MAC/PHY-Overhead. The results offer a detailed comparison of the operational efficiency of each routing protocol and propagation model across various VANET scenarios. This analysis provides actionable insights for selecting suitable routing protocols and propagation model in diverse ITS environments, ultimately contributing to safer and more efficient vehicular communication networks.