Implementation of a manycast protocol for intermittently connected mobile ad hoc networks in disaster areas

Abstract: Nowadays, the use of mobile phones and other wireless devices has become an indispensable part of daily life. However, the focus of wireless communication is on infrastructure-based networks, making them prone to service outage if for any reason the infrastructure is overloaded or there is no network coverage. This is the case in a disaster area, where the infrastructure that supports the communication may be destroyed or could become useless. Different approaches to complement the exchange of information in these scenarios are emerging as research results. This thesis concerns Random-Walk Gossip (RWG), which is a protocol to disseminate information in disaster areas. RWG is a many-cast protocol for intermittently connected mobile ad hoc networks. The more people can communicate, the more chances of success there are. Therefore, it is useful to investigate the possibility of implementing such protocols on commodity devices. Since Symbian is currently the most widespread mobile phone operating system, this master's thesis presents the implementation of the protocol in that platform. The protocol is also implemented in Linux and Mac OS X in order to provide heterogeneity. Finally, some aspects of the performance of the protocol in different devices are analyzed, studying the CPU load, memory consumption, radio range, energy consumption and response time of different devices using the protocol. The studies show that the use of the RWG protocol in both laptops and handheld devices is viable.