Performance Evaluation of Routing Protocols for UAV-Assisted Post-Disaster Communication Networks

During natural disasters, the existing communication systems collapse, and the disaster-affected areas become disconnected without any means of exchanging information. The collapse of existing communication networks poses challenges for First-Responders (FRs) in locating survivors during Search and Rescue (SAR) operations and for survivors to communicate for emergency aid. To alleviate post-disaster consequences and save lives, Uncrewed Air Vehicles (UAVs), commonly known as drones, can be employed to establish adaptable and reliable emergency communication networks. UAVs offer portability and rapid deployment, making them effective in crises. The objective of this research is to evaluate and compare the performance of four network routing protocols, namely Ad Hoc On-Demand Distance Vector (AODV), Optimized Link State Routing (OLSR), Destination- Sequenced Distance-Vector (DSDV), Dynamic Source Routing (DSR) suitable for UAV-assisted communication networks. Through extensive simulation experiments utilizing NS-3, we assess the performance of these protocols based on network parameters such as delay, throughput,jitter and packet loss ratio. Our results demonstrate that OLSR exhibits optimal routing performance, ensuring efficient SAR missions in disaster environments for smaller areas and less number of nodes. However, DSR performs better when both the network area and the number of nodes are increased.