Relay Positioning Strategy for Traffic Data Collection of Multiple Unmanned Aerial Vehicles Using Hybrid Optimization Systems: A FANET-Based Case Study

In the new context of Next Generation Networks, Aerial Ad Hoc Networks, also known as FANET (Flying Ad Hoc Network), are being used to monitor areas of difficult access. Owing to the dynamism and autoconfiguration of this type of network, a strategy is needed to position its devices (drones) to ensure it can achieve good performance. In light of this, this paper proposes a flight path planning model, which involves a metaheuristic optimization-based approach. The proposal relied on the artificial neural networks to optimize the positioning of the relay device, so that the throughput between the other devices could be increased; the benefits of the proposal were demonstrated through simulations.