Autonomic Computing and VANET

As modern wireless communication networks continue to spread in coverage and ubiquity, so do the applications for networks that take advantage of mobile technology. One of the more interesting areas of research and development is in the development and deployment of vehicular ad hoc networks (VANETs). VANETs offer the potential for intelligent transportation networks that can both actively and passively improve travel efficiency and safety for the vehicles that use them. Informative content can be delivered to drivers informing them of road conditions or nearby traffic congestion. Entertaining content like multimedia can be delivered to vehicle passengers. To be usable and efficient, VANETs need to be largely autonomous and self-adaptive. The software that organizes the nodes entering and leaving a VANET must be self-managing, without requiring their active participation of drivers or passengers in the organization and maintenance of the network. A VANET needs to automatically adapt to changes in the geography over which the network is deployed, and to the highly dynamic behavior of its participant vehicles. It must detect and recover from failures during content delivery, protect the integrity of data being delivered, and protect against malicious attacks by intruders. It should optimize the exchange of information between participant vehicles and roadside infrastructure, making the best use of power and bandwidth. In this paper, we describe the architecture of vehicular ad hoc networks, the principles of autonomic software design, and how the autonomic computing paradigm is applied to VANET applications.