A dynamic context-based routing protocol for effective packet forwarding in opportunistic network

Opportunistic networks (OppNets) pose unique challenges and difficulties in message forwarding due to node mobility and intermittent connectivity. The major challenge in OppNets is the selection of a suitable neighbour node to carry forward data packets from the source to the destination node. To address this, a novel routing protocol, termed as dynamic context-based routing protocol for effective packet forwarding in OppNet (DCRP), is proposed. This protocol considers contexts of a node such as frequency of encounter, mean contact duration, mean inter-contact time, distance, buffer space, packet forwarding rate, and energy. The simulations using the Opportunistic Network Environment (ONE) simulator show that DCRP demonstrates better routing capabilities compared to other benchmark protocols like EBC, EDR and Epidemic. It achieves lower average latency, reduced hop counts, fewer messages dropped, and improved buffer time averages, making it a better solution for efficient message routing in opportunistic networks.