A Probability-Based Routing Algorithm for Improved Message Transmission in Vehicular Social Networks

In Vehicular Social Networks (VSN), the high speed of vehicles and the unpredictability of their directions lead to constantly changing network topologies and frequent interruptions in communication links. As a result, there are high rates of message loss and transmission delays during message transmission. To address these issues, a probability-based routing algorithm (ProSim) for VSN is proposed, which utilizes opportunistic encounters between nodes for message transmission. The VSN routing algorithm is designed based on the social relationships between vehicles to mitigate the high loss rates and delays caused by communication link interruptions. It involves selecting the encounter probability and social similarity of vehicle nodes as social relationships, quantifying them, and calculating the transmission probability. Simulations using real road data show that ProSim, compared with three classic routing algorithms: Direct Delivery (DD), Epidemic, and PRoPHET, can effectively improve the message transmission rate while controlling transmission overhead and delay. Keywords: Vehicular Social Network; Opportunistic Communication; Social Relationships; Transmission Probability; Routing Algorithm.