[Mobile Communication Management System for Railways]

by

Table of Contents

CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION1

Outline of the Study1

Background of the study1

Rationale of the study3

Research Aim & Objective3

Time Scale4

Gantt chart5

CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW6

Mobile Ad-Hoc Networks -MANET6

GSM for Railways (GSM-R)7

Mobile Communication System Functionality - Railway Specific9

ETSI TC RT: the home of GSM-R10

CHAPTER 3: METHODOLOGY12

Research Design12

Research Philosophy13

Research Procedure- Exploratory Study14

Literature Search14

Ethical Consideration14

CHAPTER 4: PROPOSED OUTCOMES15

Predictions of the Study15

REFERENCES16

CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION

Outline of the Study

In the final dissertation, the first chapter will provide an introduction to the topic including the purpose and significance of the study. The second chapter will present a review of relevant literature, highlighting the previous research carried out in this field. The third chapter would cover the methodology for this study. The analysis of findings and discussion will be presented in the fourth chapter. The fifth chapter will conclude the dissertation, providing implications and useful recommendations for further research.

Background of the study

Mobile ad hoc networks (MANET) have provided technological connectivity in areas where various constraints, including environmental, financial, cultural, time, and government prohibited the establishment of infrastructure-based networks. Nodes may be static or mobile, leading to a dynamic network topology (Yang, and Lu, 2002). Routing of data occurs as nodes relay information to each other. Traditional ad hoc routing protocols assume the network is fully connected. In addition, the end-to-end source-destination path is assumed to be known prior to transmission. MANET is a self-configuring network of mobile routers and associated hosts connected by wireless links (Awerbuch et al., 2002). The routers (mobile devices, nodes) are free to move randomly and organize themselves arbitrarily; thus, the network's wireless topology may change rapidly and unpredictably.

The need for increased connectivity extends from urbanized areas to remote and rural areas previously unreachable via standard telecommunication networks. In either of these cases, the establishment or use of an infrastructure-based network is not always feasible, due to various constraints, including time, financial, cultural, government, and environmental. In addition, certain catastrophic events can render infrastructure networks useless. (Papadimitratos, and Haas, 2003)

Opportunistic or disruption tolerant networks (DTN) are special types of MANETs where no end-to-end path exists between source and destination nodes, due to a number of potential factors, including node mobility, physical obstructions, etc (Seung, Prasad and Robin, 2001). Packet transmission occurs in a store-and-forward fashion, where nodes relay packets to neighbouring nodes as they come in contact with each other, until the packet ultimately reaches its destination. As a result, packets must endure longer delays.

Vehicular ad-hoc networks (VANETs) are a special type MANET where cars or buses are equipped with devices that allow them to communicate with each other and any stationary equipment they may pass. These vehicles, referred to as nodes, are restricted to movement on streets or designated paths (Hu, and D. Johnson, 2002). In a major metropolitan area, public transportation systems can be utilized to provide opportunistic routing and delivery of data via buses. When equipped with wireless sensors, these networks can be used for a number of purposes, including health, environmental, habitat, and traffic monitoring, emergency response, and ...