Mobile Opportunistic Network (MON) is characterized by intermittent connectivity where communication largely depends on the mobility pattern of the participating nodes. In MON, a node can take the custody of a packet for a long time and carry it until a new forwarding path has been established, unlike mobile adhoc network (MANET), where a node must drop the packet otherwise. Therefore, routing in MON depends on the repeated make-and-break of communication links which again depends on the mobility of the nodes as they encounter and drift away from each other. MONs can simply be formed by humans carrying hand-held devices (like Personal Digital Assistant (PDAs) or cell phones) or on-board devices installed in vehicles. Therefore, with mobility playing a major role in the performance of MON, researchers have repeatedly tried to understand the nature of mobility with respect to humans, vehicles, and wild animals.

To study the nature of mobility, researchers have collected mobility traces, proposed mobility models, and analyzed the performance of MON with respect to various mobility parameters. This article provides a detailed survey of different mobility models which have been proposed till date and how mobility largely determines the performance of opportunistic routing. We divide the article into four major sections; first, we provide a detailed survey of all the synthetic mobility models which have been developed till date. Second, we study the various mobility traces which have been collected and analyzed. Third, we study how mobility parameters affect the performance of MON. Finally, we highlight on some of the research areas and open challenges which yet remain unsolved.

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