Survey on vehicular ad hoc networks clustering algorithms: Overview, taxonomy, challenges, and open research issues

Vehicular ad hoc networks (VANETs) have recently attracted considerable attention owing to their wide range of applications. However, there are several challenges, such as mobility, routing, scalability, quality of services, and security. Clustering is an important control mechanism in high-mobility networks and has been verified to be a promising approach in VANETs as well, as it ensures a basic level of network performance. Accordingly, several clustering algorithms have been proposed for these networks, and different protocols typically focus on various performance metrics. In this study, we provide a thorough review of clustering algorithms in VANETs. First, we present background material regarding the clustering process. Secondly, we propose a new taxonomy that categorizes clustering algorithms in VANETs based on different design aspects and provides a description of the algorithms in each category. Thirdly, an analysis of the algorithms in each category is provided according to various comparison metrics. Fourthly, we highlight the main challenges for each category and discuss some open research issues. Finally, we provide a general comparison of different clustering algorithms according to selected key parameters. Thus, this study provides a more thorough understanding of VANET clustering algorithms and the research trends in this area.