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The topological structure in vehicular communication networks presents challenges for sustaining network connectivity on the road. Highway dynamics, for example, encourage the need for an adaptive and flexible structure to handle the rapid events of vehicles joining and leaving the road. Such demand aligns with the advancement made in software-defined networks and related dynamic network re-orchestration. This paper discusses the development of a virtual model that represents the operation of an autonomous vehicular network. It also investigates the ability to re-orchestrate the topology through software definition while running the various operational phases. Network self-formation, network expansion, retraction via vehicular members joining and leaving, and network self-healing when a topological rupture occurs as a result of a key member leaving the network are the key grouping phases. The communication approach is analyzed based on the status of network members and their ability to assume the various network roles. The concept is tested using both a Contiki–Cooja network simulator and a MATLAB analytical modeling tool to reflect the operation and performance of the grouping approach under various road scenarios. The outcome of the analysis reflects the ability of the group to be formulated within a measured latency considering the various network parameters such as communication message rate. The approach offers tools for managing the dynamic connectivity of vehicular groups and may also be extended to assume the function of an on-road network digital twin during the lifetime of a given group.

Vehicular network structures present a range of challenges and opportunities for efficiently managing awareness of road dynamics and network connectivity. An enhanced manageable organization can offer a better reaction to safetyrelated road events, facilitate dynamic topological flexibility, relate to road layout, and interact with unpredictable distribution of the vehicles. Vehicular grouping is one of the suggested structural techniques that offers a great benefit in grouping vehicles and modelling data routing, giving importance to road structure and the occurrence of a dynamic event within the associated group of vehicles. The approach discussed in this paper is based on a dynamic grouping through phases of self-formation, self-joining, self-leaving and self-healing as key components of the protocol operational cycle. Both vehicular physical connected resources and the remote computational cloud could be used for data processing and monitoring of road dynamics. This, in effect, encourages an Internet of Things (IoT) environment that enhances the dynamic performance through direct interaction between the virtualized network of vehicles and the physical network on the road leading to Internet of Vehicles (IoV). The objective of this paper is to develop a concept of network self-formation algorithm based on vehicle grouping strategy wherein the node can flexibly switch its function, be it an IoT gateway or a router node, based on the proposed fitness election model to be elected as group head. Testing using Contiki-Cooja simulator has been implemented on various road condition scenarios reflects the operational ability of the algorithm taking into consideration the network performance based on the ultimate capacity of the road.

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