HAVENS: A highly accessible Vehicular Network simulation framework

Networking researchers are increasingly interested in Vehicular Networking, while traffic engineers are continuously looking for ways to reduce traffic and optimize its distribution. Since there is no way of accurately modeling traffic, and actual protocol deployment is not always a feasible option while doing research, developed systems are typically simulated to model reality accurately. We present a map-based simulation tool that greatly helps users obtain representative results easily. The system, which we call HAVENS, is designed with three requirements in mind: Simplicity, accessibility, and reliability. The system is based on a clear separation between the user input environment and the simulation environment, upon realizing these two entities requires a different set of attributes, spanning both, user experience and machine performance. This paper gives a detailed description of the design and the implementation of the simulator.