Metrical routing using ad-hoc networks in hierarchical environment

The need to rapidly deploy military forces in unknown areas without the ability to use existing ground-based communication infrastructure requires the use of ad-hoc communication networks. Transmission limitations motivates the use of a hierarchal routing mechanism that enables each soldier to communicate with distant soldiers using intermediate powerful nodes that hover within the transmission radius. Our research combines various types of transmitters, including short-range personal transmitters, vehicle-mounted transmitters, helicopters and a geostationary Earth-orbit (GEO) satellite. Each of these entities possesses a different communication range, velocity, and altitude. We consider the various tradeoffs rising from such a heterogeneous theater, and compare two ad-hoc protocols - AODV, which is based on dynamic updates of local cached routing tables, and MRA, which is based on dynamic updates of virtual coordinates. Our results show that for the MRA algorithm one "flat" network is sufficient, and there is no need to use clustering methods. We further show that the GEO satellite constitutes a ubiquitous mediator that contributes to the connectivity and stability of the network.