An efficient multi-objective UAV assisted RSU deployment (MOURD) scheme for VANET

A Roadside Unit (RSU) serves as essential infrastructure in Vehicular Ad Hoc Networks (VANETs) that supports the goals of Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) by providing safety services, shared storage, and enhanced internet connectivity to vehicular users, drivers, and pedestrians. Additionally, the efficiency of VANETs, concerning network service utility and latency, depends on the relative positioning of these RSUs within the network topology. Most existing RSU deployment approaches deal with a single objective, either enhancing network service utility or minimizing the latency. For instance, some studies suggest deploying RSUs in high-traffic road segments that enhance network service utility but lead to higher latency. Conversely, some suggest deploying the RSUs in low-traffic road segments that minimize the network latency, but there will be low network service utility. Hence, there exists a trade-off between these two conflicting objectives in VANETs, and none of the studies address both objectives simultaneously. To achieve the balance between these two objectives, this paper proposes a Multi-Objective UAV assisted RSU Deployment (MOURD) scheme that leverages the Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) for VANET efficiency. The MOURD scheme statically places RSUs in high-traffic road segments and dynamically dispatches the UAVs in low-traffic road segments to facilitate seamless network coverage and minimize the overall network latency. The simulation results on the road network of Delhi, India, demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed MOURD scheme compared to other benchmark RSU & UAV deployment approaches. MOURD scheme outperforms on an average of 17.42%, 13.29%, 15.67% and 6.23% in terms of vehicle connection time, packet delivery ratio, throughput, and latency, respectively.