Shake UP your city News : Vehicular network testbed has started
Testbeds are fundamental tools to help researchers and companies bridge the gap between theory and practice. Thus, urban-scale testbeds are being created. These enable the development of technology, products and services, turning cities more pleasant, safe and efficient.
In order to create the largest vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) testbed in the world, several devices are being installed in taxis, and in the near future, in buses. The goal for this testbed is to measure e evaluate how vehicle-to-vehicle communication can assure passengers access to the internet and expand the coverage of WiFi network.
V2V are devices equipped with positioning, sensing s and wireless interfaces. They operate in a netwok and share information, for instance, about traffic or touristic places to visit. In this context, the consortium of universities and companies developed a vehicle network which comprises 25 trucks of Transportes Sardão that operates at Leixões Harbour.
These vehicles move containers to and from cargo ships that are docked in the harbour. Because the trucks rarely leave the port's confined area, radio connectivity between them is very good, making this an ideal testing ground for new vehicular protocols and applications.
Several gigabytes of data are already being collected. Based on this information, researchers are now designing experiments to make the best possible use of this resource. The development of this platform aims to continue the Drive In project. This culminated in 2012 and was led by Michel Ferreira, professor at the Faculdade de Ciências da Universidade do Porto (FCUP) and researcher at the Instituto de Telecomunicações (IT).
