A distributed relay selection using a fuzzy-BCM based decision making strategy for multi-hop data dissemination in VANETs

In urban Vehicular Ad-hoc Networks (VANETs), disseminating traffic data efficiently is challenging due to the dynamic and complex nature of the network. Multi-hop-based broadcasting approaches are commonly used to address this issue. However, selecting the optimal relay nodes poses a challenge and directly impacts network performance. Existing relay selection strategies, such as beacon-based methods, have limitations in scaling under different traffic conditions. This paper proposes a multi-attribute relay selection strategy for urban multi-hop VANETs to overcome these challenges. The strategy evaluates the rebroadcast capability of each receiving node based on its real-time status. It utilizes a fuzzy-BCM-based weight estimation strategy to determine the contribution of each attribute to the node's capability. The node with the highest broadcasting capability is given priority to access the channel and broadcast the data packet. The proposed scheme is evaluated through simulation tests in VANET simulation environments, considering various traffic flow and speed variations. Performance comparison with four benchmark methods is conducted. The results show that the proposed scheme improves the overall dissemination efficiency by 51.1% compared to the benchmarked methods.