PeerTIS - A Peer-to-Peer Traffic Information System

In this paper, the authors propose a traffic information system based on the distribution of knowledge provided by the cars themselves. Prior work in this area attempted to realize this distribution via vehicular ad-hoc networks, i.e., by direct communication between cars. Such an approach faces serious problems due to capacity constraints, high data dissemination latencies, and limited initial deployment of the required technology. In this paper, they present a solution that is not based on ad-hoc networking, but is still fully decentralized. It establishes a peer-to-peer overlay over the Internet, using cellular Internet access. They present a structure for the overlay, a prototype implementation in a simulation environment, and results that underline the feasibility of such a system in a city scenario.