A DTN-based architecture for public transport networks

Abstract

Delay/disruption-tolerant networking has been exploited in a variety of communication scenarios to provide basic delay-tolerant Internet services. In this paper, we propose a delay/disruption-tolerant networking (DTN)-based architecture for dense urban environments that exploits the existing infrastructure of public transport networks to provide Internet services through applications that can withstand certain delays without significantly affecting user experience. To achieve data delivery within the delay tolerance threshold that each user defines, we couple the proposed architecture with the enhanced connectivity plan routing protocol (CARPOOL+) that includes smart mechanisms for route calculation. In particular, the proposed architecture exploits both scheduled and opportunistic contact opportunities and mitigates the impact of typical delays caused by traffic, road accidents, etc. Our simulation results show that the proposed architecture achieves high delivery ratio with low latency, even when significant delays occur. We also compare CARPOOL+ with the most well-known DTN routing solutions and show that CARPOOL+ achieves the highest delivery ratio with the lowest overhead.