The Internet of Vehicles (IoVs)

The Internet of Vehicles (IoV) refers to a network where vehicles are connected to the Internet, allowing them to exchange data with other vehicles, infrastructure like traffic lights, pedestrians, and the cloud, enabling features like intelligent traffic management, enhanced safety, and efficient transportation through sensors and software integrated into the vehicles. 

Key characteristics about IoV:

• Connectivity: Vehicles communicate with each other and their surroundings using wireless technologies like cellular networks and dedicated short-range communication (DSRC) protocols.
• Data exchange: Sensors in vehicles collect data on road conditions, traffic patterns, potential hazards, and vehicle status, which is then shared with other connected vehicles and infrastructure systems.

Applications of the IoV:

• Traffic management: Real-time traffic updates, adaptive traffic signal control, and optimized route planning
• Safety features: Collision avoidance warnings, pedestrian detection, and emergency response
• Autonomous driving: Essential for self-driving cars to navigate complex environments by sharing information with other vehicles and infrastructure

In simple terms, Internet of Vehicles (IoV) can be described as a network that utilizes sensors, software, and technology to connect vehicles to their relative environment (entities such as pedestrians, traffic management equipment, other vehicles, pedestrians, parking lots, and so on) and exchange data.

- The ACES Future Mobility

Today's vehicles have become truly connected machines, not just extensions of mobile devices such as smartphones. This connectivity has given way to intelligent vehicle networks that are revolutionizing the landscape. 

The Internet of Vehicles (IoV) is a network of vehicles, equipped with sensors, software, and technologies that mediate between these, in order to connect and exchange data over the Internet according to agreed standards. 

The IoV is equipped with countless sensors, which in turn generate vast amounts of data. For example, these sensors are used to monitor security, environmental parameters and traffic.

The IoV is a distributed network that supports the use of data created by connected cars and vehicular ad hoc networks (VANETs). VANET is a mobile ad hoc network for communication between vehicles and roadside systems, and is expected to eventually evolve into the “Internet of Autonomous Vehicles”. 

The IoV is expected to be one of the enablers of autonomous, connected, electric and shared (ACES) future mobility. An important goal of the IoV is to allow vehicles to communicate in real time with their human drivers, pedestrians, other vehicles, roadside infrastructure and fleet management systems. 

- The Internet of Vehicles (IoV)

With the rapid development of automotive telematics, modern vehicles are expected to be interconnected through heterogeneous wireless access technologies and be able to exchange massive amounts of information with the surrounding environment. 

By significantly expanding the network scale and performing real-time and long-term information processing, the traditional in-vehicle ad hoc network is evolving to the IoV, which brings the prospect of high efficiency and intelligence to the future transportation system. On the other hand, cars are not only consuming, but also generating massive, massive types of data, which we call big data. 

Through the rational use of data, the IoV can not only provide drivers with the best driving route, but also realize emergency prevention and rapid response, thereby significantly improving driving safety and in-vehicle experience, which is regarded as the main contribution of the Internet of Vehicles to intelligence. Despite these advantages, the sustainability of IoV has many potential risks in terms of safety and performance, such as control failures and energy inefficiencies. 

In addition, due to the complexity of the transportation system, the connectivity of the IoV has become an issue of increasing concern. Research in IoV requires expertise in various fields, from ICT to energy and civil engineering.

Some of the benefits of connected cars are: optimize accident prevention, emergency call in the event of an accident, real-time traffic information, parking assistant and driving advice, carpool, etc.

Smart cities integrate innovative technologies and solutions to manage city assets, including transportation, electricity supply, and other critical infrastructure. The Internet of Vehicles (IoV) is the latest technology designed for smart urban transportation. Through wireless communication and sensing technology, the Internet of Vehicles creates an information exchange network between vehicles, roadside infrastructure and the surrounding environment. Various data collected from in-vehicle devices reflect the current traffic situation (such as traffic accidents, traffic congestion, and public transport delays) in smart cities in real time.

Today, vehicles are increasingly being connected to the Internet of Things (IoT) which enable them to provide ubiquitous access to information to drivers and passengers while on the move. However, as the number of connected vehicles keeps increasing, new requirements (such as seamless, secure, robust, scalable information exchange among vehicles, humans, and roadside infrastructures) of vehicular networks are emerging. 

The IoV supports five types of network communication:

• Intra-Vehicle systems that monitor the vehicle's internal performance through On Board Units (OBUs). 
• Vehicle to Vehicle (V2V) systems that support the wireless exchange of information about the speed and position of surrounding vehicles. 
• Vehicle to Infrastructure (V2I) systems that support the wireless exchange of information between a vehicle and supporting roadside units (RSUs).  
• Vehicle to Cloud (V2C) systems that allow the vehicle to access additional information from the internet through application program interfaces (APIs).  
• Vehicle to Pedestrian (V2P) systems that support awareness for Vulnerable Road Users (VRUs) such as pedestrians and cyclists. 
• When discussed in the context of 5G and intelligent transport systems (ITS), the five types of networks mentioned above are sometimes referred to as Vehicle to Everything (V2X) communication.

[San Rossore National Park, Italy]

The next generation of the Internet of Vehicles (IoV) refers to a more advanced and interconnected network of vehicles that leverages technologies like 5G, AI, edge computing, and blockchain to enable seamless communication between cars, infrastructure, pedestrians, and other devices, leading to enhanced safety, traffic management, autonomous driving capabilities, and improved user experiences, all while prioritizing data security and privacy concerns.

Essentially, it's a more intelligent and integrated transportation system with greater capabilities than current IoV implementations. 

Key features of next-generation IoV:

• Advanced V2X communication: Beyond basic vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) communication, next-gen IoV will include vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2I), vehicle-to-pedestrian (V2P), and vehicle-to-everything (V2X) interactions, allowing for real-time data exchange with surrounding environment.
• AI-powered decision making: Utilizing artificial intelligence to analyze large volumes of data from connected vehicles, enabling predictive actions like route optimization, traffic congestion avoidance, and proactive safety measures.
• Edge computing: Processing data closer to the source (within the vehicle or roadside units) for faster response times and reduced latency, critical for autonomous driving scenarios.
• Enhanced cybersecurity: Robust security protocols to protect sensitive data transmitted between vehicles and the cloud, mitigating potential hacking threats.
• Integration with smart cities: Seamless connection between IoV systems and smart city infrastructure to optimize traffic flow, parking management, and energy usage.
• Data privacy considerations: Mechanisms to ensure user data privacy by anonymizing and securely managing collected information.

Potential benefits of next-generation IoV:

• Improved road safety: Real-time warnings about potential hazards, like upcoming accidents or pedestrians in the road.
• Traffic congestion mitigation: Dynamic route optimization based on real-time traffic conditions
• Efficient autonomous driving: Facilitates communication between self-driving vehicles for smoother navigation
• Personalized driving experience: Tailored information and services based on individual driver needs
• Reduced environmental impact: Optimized driving patterns to minimize fuel consumption

[More to come ...]