A trust-based framework for vehicular travel with non-binary reports and its validation via an extensive simulation testbed

Robin Cohen,Umar F Minhas,Jie Zhang,Thomas Tran,John Finnson

doi:10.1186/s40493-014-0010-0

Abstract

Abstract In this paper, we offer an algorithm for intelligent decision making about travel path planning in mobile vehicular ad-hoc networks (VANETs), for scenarios where agents representing vehicles exchange reports about traffic. One challenge that arises is how best to model the trustworthiness of those traffic reports. To this end, we outline an algorithm for effectively soliciting, receiving and analyzing the trustworthiness of these reports, to drive a vehicle’s decision about the path to follow. Distinct from earlier work, we clarify the need for specifying the conditions under which reports are exchanged and for processing non-binary reports, culminating in a proposed algorithm to achieve that processing, as part of the trust modeling and path planning. To validate our approach we then offer a detailed evaluation framework that achieves large scale simulation of traffic, travel and reporting of information, confirming the value of our proposed approach by demonstrating the average speed of vehicles which follow our algorithm (compared to ones that do not). This experimental framework is promoted as a significant contribution towards the goal of evaluating trust algorithms for intelligent decision making in traffic scenarios.

Highlights

In this paper, we present a method for exchanging reports between agents in multiagent systems that allows the trustworthiness of peers providing non-binary information to be modeled, as part of an agent?s decision making process
Compared with the above mentioned trust modeling work, our work provides a detailed design and implementation for the communication protocols between agents in the vehicular ad-hoc networks (VANETs) environment, clearly specifying how an agent sends a request for location and congestion information and how an agent makes use of requested information as part of its travel decision making
Conclusion and future work In conclusion, we offer an approach for supporting reasoning about agent trust with advice from peers, whose trustworthiness is modeled, when non-numeric reports are provided and have shown the merit of our framework in the context of the VANET application

Summary

Introduction

We present a method for exchanging reports between agents in multiagent systems that allows the trustworthiness of peers providing non-binary information to be modeled, as part of an agent?s decision making process. We are motivated by the problem of enabling agents to make travel decisions based on traffic reports received by peers, in a setting of mobile vehicular ad-hoc networks (VANETs). In this environment, maintaining a multi-faceted trust model is of value and our proposal for supporting nonbinary reports integrates each facet of this trust model, in order for an agent to determine which travel path to follow. We sketch algorithms that clarify in greater detail how to support effective

Findings

Discussion

Conclusion