Task-Offloading Optimization Using a Genetic Algorithm in Hybrid Fog Computing for the Internet of Drones

Research and development on task offloading over the Internet of Drones (IoD) has expanded rapidly in the last few years. Task offloading in a fog IoD environment is very challenging due to the high dynamics of the IoD topology, which cause intermittent connections, as well as the stringent requirements of task offloading, such as reduced delay. To overcome these challenges, in this paper, we propose a task-offloading optimization strategy using a heuristic genetic algorithm (GA) with hybrid fog computing technology for the Internet of Drones, named GA Hybrid-Fog. The proposed solution employs a GA for task offloading from edge Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) to both fog base stations (FBSs) and fog UAVs (FUAVs) in order to optimize offloading delays (transmission and fog computing delays) and guarantee higher storage and processing capacity. Experimental results show that GA Hybrid-Fog achieves greater improvements in task-offloading delays compared to other IoD technologies (GA BS-Fog, GA UAV-Fog, and GA UAV-Edge).