VEC-Sim: A Simulation Platform for Evaluating Service Caching and Computation Offloading Policies in Vehicular Edge Networks

TL;DR

VEC-Sim is a flexible simulation platform designed to evaluate service caching and offloading policies in vehicular edge networks, accurately modeling real-world dynamics and supporting custom policy testing.

Contribution

It introduces a novel, modular simulation platform tailored for VEC networks, filling gaps left by existing simulators with realistic mobility and access pattern modeling.

Findings

VEC-Sim accurately reproduces classical scheduling algorithms.

It effectively supports case studies in VEC network scenarios.

The platform demonstrates high fidelity compared to real-world data.

Abstract

Computer simulation platforms offer an alternative solution by emulating complex systems in a controlled manner. However, existing Edge Computing (EC) simulators, as well as general-purpose vehicular network simulators, are not tailored for VEC and lack dedicated support for modeling the distinct access pattern, entity mobility trajectory and other unique characteristics of VEC networks. To fill this gap, this paper proposes VEC-Sim, a versatile simulation platform for in-depth evaluation and analysis of various service caching and computation offloading policies in VEC networks. VEC-Sim incorporates realistic mechanisms to replicate real-world access patterns, including service feature vector, vehicle mobility modeling, evolving service popularity, new service upload and user preference shifts, etc. Moreover, its modular architecture and extensive Application Programming Interfaces (APIs) allow seamless integration of customized scheduling policies and user-defined metrics. A comprehensive evaluation of VEC-Sim's capabilities is undertaken in comparison to real-world ground truths. Results prove it to be accurate in reproducing classical scheduling algorithms and extremely effective in conducting case studies.