DRIVE-IN – Distributed Routing and Infotainment through Vehicular Inter-Networking 
 |
Start date: 2009 End Date: 2012 PIs: Michel Ferreira (FCUP), Ozan Tonguz (CMU) Dual Degree Ph.D. Students: Hugo Conceição (Electrical and Computer Engineering), Mate Boban (Electrical and Computer Engineering), Rui Meireles (Computer Science), Alexandre ligo (Engineering and Public Policy), Romeu Monteiro (Electrical and Computer Engineering), João Nogueira (Electrical and Computer Engineering) Teams: Faculdade de Ciências da Universidade do Porto (FCUP), Faculdade de Engenharia da Universidade do Porto (FEUP), Instituto de Telecomunicações (IT), Universidade de Aveiro (UA), Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) |
Abstract:
The goal of DRIVE-IN project is to investigate how vehicle-to-vehicle communication can improve the user experience and the overall efficiency of vehicle and road utilization. As positioning devices, sensing technologies and wireless interfaces become standard commodities, all sorts of vehicles such as cars, buses and trucks will soon be able to operate in a networked fashion, sharing vita information ranging from traffic congestion data to accident alarm signals and making navigation and safety decisions based on the messages they receive from neighboring nodes. In addition, vehicle-to-vehicle communications open a myriad of new applications, including location-based information dissemination, vehicle-based social networking and distributed interactive games. So far, in most applications navigation and communication are viewed as separate capabilities with little or no relationship to each other. Clearly, vehicle mobility and node density can vary dramatically depending on the road network and daily traffic patterns, and, consequently, wireless network connectivity between vehicles is extremely dynamic and highly correlated with the position of the vehicles and the physical characteristics of the road. It is thus important to explore how one can exploit the interplay between realtime navigation and wireless communication to achieve stable and efficient traffic and information flows.
DRIVE-IN addresses both foundations and applications of inter-vehicle communication. Concepts, methodologies and technologies developed in the three main research thrusts: Geo-optimized VANET protocols, intelligent and collaborative car routing, and VANET applications and services, shall fertilize horizontal activities covering realistic large-scale simulation and massive real-life experiments in urban environments.
Some of the outcomes of the project:
Testbed with a fleet of 500 taxis, where carPC installed on each taxi, using 3G links for communication
Creation of two startups: Veniam Works and Virtual Traffic Lights
Two patents
Articles published in the Portuguese media:
Cars Can Communicate With Each Other as They Go [Jornal de Notícias, July 2012]
DRIVE-IN [ Porto Canal, July 2011]
Porto City has the Biggest Testbed in Vehicular Networks [Público Online, Boas Notícias, July 2011]
The Biggest Project of the Carnegie Mellon Portugal Program: Drive-In [Jornal de Notícias, March 2011]
Drive-IN Project: Technologies for Road Safety [Diário Económico, February 2011]
Drive-in Project Will Improve City Mobility [OJE Newspaper, December 2010]
Drive In project: One Car, One Traffic Sign [Exame Informática, August 2010]
News Piece at RTPN, program Radar de Negócios [July 2010]
News Piece at SIC Notícias[portuguese cable TV], program Falar Global [September 2009]
