Enhancing IoV Networks with Drone-Based Routing: A Review of the TPDA-IoV Protocol


 This post discusses a scholarly article, "Trust and Priority-Based Drone Assisted Routing and Mobility and Service-Oriented Solution for the Internet of Vehicles Networks," published in the Journal of Information Security and Applications. The post aims to present the key concepts, motivations, methodology, and findings of the research, while also highlighting its significance in addressing contemporary challenges in Internet of Vehicles (IoV) environments. The article offers a novel approach to managing congestion, routing reliability, and security in IoV by leveraging drones (Unmanned Aerial Vehicles, UAVs) as intelligent mobile data routers.

Background and Motivation

Internet of Vehicles (IoV) has emerged as a critical domain in intelligent transportation systems, enabling vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communication for improved safety, infotainment, and traffic efficiency. However, IoV networks face severe performance degradation in congested urban environments due to high mobility, frequent topology changes, and obstacles such as buildings and infrastructure limitations. Traditional infrastructure like Road Side Units (RSUs) and base stations often become bottlenecks, failing to handle the dynamically increasing data loads. Additionally, the threat of malicious nodes in vehicular networks raises serious concerns about trust and data security.

To address these issues, the authors propose the Trust and Priority-based Drone Assisted Internet of Vehicles (TPDA-IoV) solution. This architecture utilizes drones to manage and facilitate communication in IoV networks during congestion and infrastructure failure.

TPDA-IoV Architecture and Modules

The proposed TPDA-IoV protocol is structured around two main communication modules:

  1. Drone-to-Drone (D2D) Communication
    This module ensures efficient inter-drone communication by employing a reactive routing protocol. The drones broadcast route request (RREQ) packets to discover optimal paths and respond with route reply (RREP) packets upon successful discovery. The protocol incorporates a greedy forwarding strategy and avoids the overhead associated with traditional Hello message-based flooding.

  2. Drone-to-Vehicle (D2V) Communication
    Drones interact with vehicle nodes and base stations to collect and transmit data, particularly in congested segments. The base station monitors traffic density and sends instructions to drones for targeted data collection and dissemination. The routing decisions are made based on vehicle density and drone energy levels.

Trust Evaluation Mechanism

A distinguishing feature of TPDA-IoV is its integrated trust evaluation module. The system calculates trust values for participating drones during the route discovery phase by analyzing packet behavior and evaluating communication metrics. Drones that fail to meet a predefined trust threshold are flagged as malicious and excluded from routing decisions, thus enhancing the security and integrity of the network.

Performance and Results

The authors evaluated TPDA-IoV using the NS-2 simulator integrated with the SUMO mobility model. Results demonstrated that TPDA-IoV significantly outperforms existing protocols such as GPSR and MPCA in terms of:

  • Packet Delivery Ratio (PDR)

  • End-to-End Delay

  • Network Overhead

  • Malicious Node Detection

These results underscore the protocol’s robustness in both sparse and dense traffic conditions. Its dynamic, trust-aware design makes it especially effective in high-mobility scenarios where conventional protocols tend to fail.

Conclusion

The TPDA-IoV protocol represents a significant step forward in optimizing IoV communications through drone-assisted networking. By combining priority-based routing with trust evaluation and a lightweight control message strategy, this solution addresses critical shortcomings in existing IoV systems. Its demonstrated performance suggests strong potential for real-world deployment, particularly in highway scenarios and urban smart mobility initiatives. Future research directions include adapting the protocol for smart cities and exploring its application in underwater communication environments.ResearchGate+3ResearchGate+3ResearchGate+3

Access the Full Article:
For an in-depth understanding of the TPDA-IoV protocol and its evaluation, you can access the full article here: Trust and Priority-Based Drone Assisted Routing and Mobility and Service-Oriented Solution for the Internet of Vehicles Networks.

ΑΜ 495

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

About Our Blog

In an era marked by climate volatility, global health crises, and increasingly frequent natural disasters, the demand for efficient, adaptive, and technology-driven disaster response mechanisms has never been greater. This blog, dedicated to the exploration of drones and disaster recovery, aims to serve as an authoritative platform that bridges research, policy, and real-world application.
Read more

FastPlan: Accelerating Drone-Centric Search Operations for Post-Disaster Relief

Image
  In the wake of increasingly severe natural and man-made disasters, rapid response is critical. Traditional rescue operations often face delays due to limited manpower, inaccessible areas, and communication breakdowns. Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), commonly known as drones, have emerged as a promising supplement for search and rescue missions. However, operational challenges—especially for non-professional pilots—persist.
Read more

Drone-Assisted Last-Mile Delivery: A Priority-Based Framework for Post-Disaster Logistics

Image
      In recent years, global disruptions such as natural disasters, pandemics, and conflicts have highlighted the vulnerability of traditional logistics systems, particularly in the critical final leg of delivery—commonly referred to as the “last mile.” In such scenarios, the local supply chain often collapses due to infrastructure damage, increased demand, or health risks, causing substantial delays in the distribution of essential goods.
Read more

Drones in Disaster Management: A Review of Current Applications and Research Gaps

Image
This post provides an overview of a comprehensive scoping review titled “Applications of drone in disaster management: A scoping review” published in Science & Justice (2022) . The purpose of this post is to present the key findings and methodological approach, as well as to identify research gaps from the review, which systematically mapped the use of drones (unmanned aerial vehicles or UAVs) in disaster scenarios.
Read more

Optimizing Humanitarian Flood Relief: A Multi-Modal Last-Mile Delivery Framework with Truck, Drone, and Boat

Image
  Natural disasters such as floods pose significant challenges to logistics and relief operations, particularly in the last mile of delivery where accessibility is often compromised. In flood-stricken regions, conventional ground transport may be rendered ineffective due to submerged roads, while aerial solutions alone may fall short due to limited payload capacity.
Read more