RouteSpray: A multiple-copy routing algorithm based on transit routes

Vehicular networks represent a special type of wireless network that has gained the attention of researchers over the past few years. Routing protocols for this type of network must face several challenges, such as high mobility, high speeds and frequent network disconnections. This paper proposes a vehicular routing algorithm called RouteSpray that in addition to using vehicular routes to help make routing decisions, uses controlled spraying to forward multiple copies of messages, thus ensuring better delivery rates without overloading the network. The results of experiments performed in this study indicate that the RouteSpray algorithm delivered 13.46% more messages than other algorithms reported in the literature. In addition, the RouteSpray algorithm kept the buffer occupation 73.38% lower.