Assessing the Impact of a Realistic Radio Propagation Model on VANET Scenarios Using Real Maps

Research in Vehicular Ad hoc Networks (VANETs) has found in simulation the most useful method to test new algorithms and techniques. This is mainly due to the high cost of deploying such systems in real scenarios. However, when determining the factors that should be taken into account in these simulations, some features such as using real topologies, radio signal absorption due to obstacles and channel access are rarely included, and therefore, results obtained are far from being realistic. In this paper, we present a new Radio Propagation Model (RPM), called Real Attenuation and Visibility (RAV), proposed to simulate more realistically both attenuation of wireless signals (signal power loss) and the radio visibility scheme (presence of obstacles interfering with the signal path). We evaluated this model and compared it against existing RPMs using real scenarios. Simulation results confirmed that our proposed RAV scheme can better reflect realistic scenarios.