Vehicular Sensor Networks: General Aspects and Implementation Issues - Application and Multidisciplinary Aspects of Wireless Sensor Networks - page 229

This section covered some of the most relevant VSNs applications today. As the
field is very vibrant, numerous novel applications are being constantly introduced.
They all drive the research and the implementations toward an ambient vehicular
network design able to provide safety and infotainment in a user-transparent and
seamless way.

10.8 Conclusions

VSNs are increasingly attracting the interest of both academia and industry as
manufacturers constantly equip vehicles with a plethora of sensing possibilities.
The ability to use the installed vehicle sensor equipment to sense the vehicular
environment and send this data to relevant entities yields research and implementa-
tions that increase traffic safety or manage traffic situations in a cooperative (i.e.,
more intelligent) way. It contributes to the development of an embedded intelli-
gence on the roads able to judge autonomously in the most efficient manner under
various circumstances and for various applications.
The specifics of the vehicular environment (e.g., dynamic topologies, speed limi-
tations, drivers' habits etc.) make its peculiarities very challenging. Large number of
projects has been conducted in this area in the past few years, with the interest rang-
ing from developing innovative telematics applications to defining an open architec-
ture and processing multisensorial signals [ 14 ]. However, many issues are yet to be
tackled. The development of the VSN technology is expected to be concentrated on
improving the channel modeling, scalability, modulation and coding techniques,
mobility and network management, routing mechanisms, etc. The possible VSN
implementation studies clearly point that sensors must be small sized, independent
of temperature and electromagnetic fields, interoperable, and capable of multiple
sensor reading. Once all these issues are resolved, VSNs may become an integral
part of future traffic management solutions. In addition, RFID can become fully
integrated into current and emerging standards based automatic information collec-
tion systems. But, RFID must not be taken for granted as it can devolve into propri-
etary-based single-use applications that ultimately limit its potential.
This chapter gave an overview on the general VSN aspects and some of the most
prominent VSN implementation issues. It should serve as an introductory text in the
area giving an intriguing snapshot of the potentials of the VSN technology. Even
though one can conclude with utmost certainty that VSNs will be one of the key
components in future wireless and mobile networking solutions, the pace of their
adoption as well as usage strongly depends on the actual research done in the area.

Acknowledgment The authors would like to thank Bisera Jankuloska, Milan Zahariev, Mihajlo
Pavloski, Sanja Bonevska, Simona Temelkova, Natasa Paunkoska, Andrijana Jankova, Kiril
Popadinski, Vanco Popov, Marijana Neskovska and Makedonka Gudzirova, undergraduate stu-
dents in telecommunications (2008/2008) at the Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Information
Technologies (FEEIT) - Skopje, for their valuable contributions and dedicated work on the usage
scenarios within the ProSense project [ 44 ].