An integrated vehicular-wireless evaluation of WAVE/DSRC connected vehicle probe data service

This paper describes an evaluation of a standardized Probe Data Service (PDS) defined for collecting vehicular probe data via Wireless Access in Vehicular Environments (WAVE) networks operating in the Dedicated Short Range Communications (DSRC) band. Our evaluation is performed by simulating the security and networking functions that support PDS. Our key findings are that in the current design of the service, in which vehicular on-board units are programmed to transmit their collected probe data immediately upon entering the coverage area of a road-side unit (RSU), wireless communication losses can be significant. The use of VDTLS, a security mechanism to transport probe data messages, offered unexpected advantages by forcing vehicles to move closer to RSUs before message transmissions if the VDTLS handshake fails or a session disconnects. An increase in the number and frequency of transmissions, and a decrease in the size of the transmitted messages, resulted in a reduction in failed wireless transmissions.