Connectivity Maps for V2I communication via ETSI ITS-G5

Especially for cellular networks, the concept of connectivity maps and their benefits to predict upcoming communication characteristics that nodes will encounter has been well-studied and understood. In this paper, we analyze how this concept can be applied to communication in Vehicular Ad Hoc Networks (VANETs): We introduce connectivity maps for Vehicle-to-X (V2X) communication via the Intelligent Transport System (ITS) G5 standard of the European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI) deployed on top of IEEE 802.11p. A reference implementation of these ITS-G5 connectivity maps is presented for connected vehicles and Roadside Units (RSUs) alike in a renowned V2X simulation framework. Results are provided for the evaluation of the functional correctness of the connectivity maps in simulation, in particular in comparison to real-world measurements, and core metrics in these maps are identified as well. Finally, it is shown how the communication of connected vehicles and RSUs is able to benefit from ITS-G5 connectivity maps, especially with increasing market penetration rates of V2X communication technologies.