A survey on modeling and simulation of vehicular networks: Communications, mobility, and tools

Simulation is a key tool for the design and evaluation of Intelligent Transport Systems (ITS) that take advantage of communication-capable vehicles in order to provide valuable safety, traffic management, and infotainment services. It is widely recognized that simulation results are only significant when realistic models are considered within the simulation toolchain. However, quite often research works on the subject are based on simplistic models unable to capture the unique characteristics of vehicular communication networks. If the implications of the assumptions made by the chosen models are not well understood, incorrect interpretations of simulation results will follow. In this paper, we survey the most significant simulation models for wireless signal propagation, dedicated short-range communication technologies, and vehicular mobility. The support that different simulation tools offer for such models is discussed, as well as the steps that must be undertaken to fine-tune the model parameters in order to gather realistic results. Moreover, we provide handy hints and references to help determine the most appropriate tools and models. We hope this article to help prospective collaborative ITS researchers and promote best simulation practices in order to obtain accurate results.