5. Protocols and Design Structures for Vehicular Networks

With the ever-increasing demand for pervasive processing of big data from heterogeneous devices and networks, there is an increased demand for optimal networks in Vehicle-to-Vehicle (V2V) communication models. Effective communication of heterogeneous devices with non-identical communication consoles demands that the devices are connected with a well-marshalled software and hardware abstraction to facilitate seamless interaction and information interchange, between the technologies of different nature supplied by diverse vendors. In today’s information-intensive environments, processing of multi-dimensional data from heterogeneous smart devices in a networked environment can be a huge challenge. The type of network supporting V2V communication is critical to overall functionality of connected vehicle communication. Although there is a significant body of knowledge on different V2V networks, there is limited research on components for the topology and architectural arrangement for optimal vehicular networks. There is also a knowledge gap on what should influence topologies and routing mechanisms in vehicular networks. This chapter is as a result of research focusing on optimal designs for vehicular networks which culminate from a synthesis of knowledge in different contexts. This research brings to the fore the principles, protocols, topologies and storage options that underpin vehicular networks. The chapter proposes a conceptual framework articulating a basic architecture configuration that can be used in Mobile Ad hoc NETworks (MANET) with an emphasis on resource-constrained contexts.