How to Begin Implementing a Biomedical Networks in NS3

To begin executing Biomedical Networks projects in NS3 environment that encompasses to replicate the communication networks which are created for healthcare applications. These networks can be contained wearable devices, implantable sensors, and external monitoring systems are integrating via wired or wireless technologies. Biomedical networks are frequently designed like Wireless Body Area Networks (WBANs) in which sensor nodes observe physiological metrics and send information to a central hub.

Below is a stepwise mechanism to get started:

Steps to Begin Implementing a Biomedical Networks Projects in NS3

1. Understand Biomedical Networks

• Key Components:
  • Biomedical Sensors: Devices, which observe the physiological metrics such as heart rate, glucose levels, or temperature.
  • Coordinator Node: It aggregates data from sensors and transmits it to external networks or healthcare providers.
  • External Network Gateway: Enables interaction among the WBAN and remote servers or cloud platforms.
• Communication:
  • Intra-WBAN: Communication among the sensors and the coordinator.
  • Inter-WBAN: Interaction between numerous WBANs or external networks.
• Applications:
  • Emergency medical response systems.
  • Wearable health monitoring.
  • Remote patient monitoring.

2. Set Up NS3 Environment

• We should set up and download the new version of NS3 on the machine.
• Learn about the following modules:
  • Wifi Module: It is used for wireless communication.
  • Internet Module: This module created for IP-based communication including external networks.
  • Mobility Module: For replicating node movement.
  • Applications Module: For traffic generation.

3. Define Project Objectives

• Following is a biomedical networks project goals:
  • Estimate the WBANs performance in diverse network conditions.
  • Replicate energy-efficient interaction protocols for biomedical sensors.
  • Examine the data transmission reliability within emergency situations.

4. Design the Biomedical Network Topology

• Sensor Nodes:
  • It denotes various kinds of biomedical sensors such as heart rate, temperature, motion sensors.
• Coordinator Node:
  • Aggregates data from sensors and then performs like a gateway to the external network.
• External Network:
  • Signifies external networks like hospital servers or cloud storage.

5. Basic Biomedical Network Simulation

Below is a sample script of a basic WBAN simulation:

#include “ns3/core-module.h”

#include “ns3/network-module.h”

#include “ns3/internet-module.h”

#include “ns3/mobility-module.h”

#include “ns3/wifi-module.h”

#include “ns3/applications-module.h”

#include “ns3/energy-module.h”

using namespace ns3;

int main(int argc, char *argv[]) {

CommandLine cmd;

cmd.Parse(argc, argv);

// Create nodes

NodeContainer sensors, coordinator, externalGateway;

sensors.Create(5); // 5 biomedical sensors

coordinator.Create(1); // Coordinator node

externalGateway.Create(1); // External network gateway

// Configure mobility for sensors and coordinator

MobilityHelper mobility;

mobility.SetPositionAllocator(“ns3::GridPositionAllocator”,

“MinX”, DoubleValue(0.0),

“MinY”, DoubleValue(0.0),

“DeltaX”, DoubleValue(1.0),

“DeltaY”, DoubleValue(1.0),

“GridWidth”, UintegerValue(5),

“LayoutType”, StringValue(“RowFirst”));

mobility.SetMobilityModel(“ns3::ConstantPositionMobilityModel”);

mobility.Install(sensors);

mobility.SetMobilityModel(“ns3::ConstantPositionMobilityModel”);

mobility.Install(coordinator);

mobility.SetMobilityModel(“ns3::ConstantPositionMobilityModel”);

mobility.Install(externalGateway);

// Configure Wi-Fi communication

WifiHelper wifi;

wifi.SetStandard(WIFI_PHY_STANDARD_80211b);

YansWifiPhyHelper wifiPhy = YansWifiPhyHelper::Default();

YansWifiChannelHelper wifiChannel = YansWifiChannelHelper::Default();

wifiPhy.SetChannel(wifiChannel.Create());

WifiMacHelper wifiMac;

wifiMac.SetType(“ns3::AdhocWifiMac”);

NetDeviceContainer sensorDevices = wifi.Install(wifiPhy, wifiMac, sensors);

NetDeviceContainer coordinatorDevice = wifi.Install(wifiPhy, wifiMac, coordinator);

NetDeviceContainer gatewayDevice = wifi.Install(wifiPhy, wifiMac, externalGateway);

// Install Internet stack

InternetStackHelper internet;

internet.Install(sensors);

internet.Install(coordinator);

internet.Install(externalGateway);

// Assign IP addresses

Ipv4AddressHelper ipv4;

ipv4.SetBase(“10.1.1.0”, “255.255.255.0”);

ipv4.Assign(sensorDevices);

ipv4.Assign(coordinatorDevice);

ipv4.Assign(gatewayDevice);

// Create traffic generator for sensors

OnOffHelper onOff(“ns3::UdpSocketFactory”, InetSocketAddress(Ipv4Address(“10.1.1.1”), 8080));

onOff.SetAttribute(“DataRate”, StringValue(“20kbps”));

onOff.SetAttribute(“PacketSize”, UintegerValue(64));

ApplicationContainer sensorApps;

for (uint32_t i = 0; i < sensors.GetN(); ++i) {

sensorApps.Add(onOff.Install(sensors.Get(i)));

}

sensorApps.Start(Seconds(1.0));

sensorApps.Stop(Seconds(10.0));

// Create a packet sink application at the coordinator

PacketSinkHelper sink(“ns3::UdpSocketFactory”, InetSocketAddress(Ipv4Address::GetAny(), 8080));

ApplicationContainer coordinatorApp = sink.Install(coordinator);

coordinatorApp.Start(Seconds(1.0));

coordinatorApp.Stop(Seconds(10.0));

Simulator::Run();

Simulator::Destroy();

return 0;

}

6. Enhance the Simulation

• Energy Efficiency:
  • Replicate the battery-powered sensors to apply NS3 Energy Module.
• Traffic Prioritization:
  • Execute QoS strategies to give precedence to emergency information.
• Mobility Models:
  • Integrate mobility for replicating wearable or implantable sensors in motion.

7. Performance Metrics

• Energy Consumption:
  • Estimate the energy consumed by sensors and the coordinator.
• Latency:
  • Measure end-to-end delays to send information to the coordinator or external gateway.
• Throughput:
  • Compute the volume of data that are effectively sent.
• Packet Delivery Ratio (PDR):
  • Estimate the network’s reliability.

8. Advanced Features

• Fault Tolerance:
  • Replicate scenarios in which some nodes be unsuccessful and experiment retrieval approaches.
• Security:
  • Integrate encryption for replicating secure communication to sensitive biomedical information.
• Machine Learning:
  • For machine learning algorithms like anomaly detection or adaptive routing, we can combine AI models.
• Integration with IoT Frameworks:
  • Associate the WBAN to IoT frameworks for remote monitoring.

9. Visualization and Analysis

• Envision the node interaction and topology to leverage NetAnim tools.
• Examine simulation outcomes for graphs and performance insights with the support of Python or MATLAB tools.

By adhering to these steps, you can implement and analyse the Biomedical Networks Projects using NS3 environment with coding snippets and we plan to expand the project further based on your needs.