An experimentation environment for SDN-based autonomous vehicles in smart cities

Abstract

The emerging Internet of Things (IoT) in conjunction with Autonomous Vehicles (AVs) have increased the complexity of network administration and control. In this context, recent proposals bring together Software-Defined Networks (SDNs) with AVs practices, i.e., introducing innovative network control strategies bespoke for smart city infrastructures. However, an experimentation environment that combines the realism of an AVs ecosystem with the SDN network paradigm is a necessity, facilitating the investigation of particular research issues, including efficient data management and routing, as well as security. In this demo, we introduce a relevant facility that builds-up on novel open environments for hands-on experimentation, namely: (i) CARLA, an open realistic urban-driving simulator; (ii) Cooja, a state-of-the-art emulator for Wireless Sensor Networks (WSNs); and (iii) SD-MIoT, a novel SDN solution for mobile IoT. Our experimentation exercise currently focuses on maintaining connectivity of AVs to the fixed infrastructure, e.g., Road Side Units (RSUs), with SDN strategies. We demonstrate the capabilities of the proposed experimentation environment with proof-of-concept results on packet delivery ratio and control overhead, quantifying the efficiency of the considered SDN approach to maintain AV connectivity, as well as with a video visualizing the outcome of our experiments.