Mobile devices integrating wireless short-range communication technologies make possible new applications for spontaneous communication, interaction and collaboration. An interesting approach is to use collaboration to facilitate communication when mobile devices are not able to establish direct communication paths. Opportunistic networks, formed when mobile devices communicate with each other while users are in close proximity, can help applications still exchange data in such cases. In opportunistic networks routes are built dynamically, as each mobile device acts according to the store-carry-and-forward paradigm. Thus, contacts between mobile devices are seen as opportunities to move data towards destination. In such networks data dissemination is done using forwarding and is usually based on a publish subscribe model. Opportunistic data dissemination also raises questions concerning user privacy and incentives. Such problems are addressed dierently by various opportunistic data dissemination techniques. In this we analyze existing relevant work in the area of data dissemination in opportunistic networks. We present the categories of a proposed taxonomy that capture the capabilities of data dissemination techniques used in such networks. Moreover, we survey relevant data dissemination techniques and analyze them using the proposed taxonomy. In this we analyze existing work in the area of data dissemination in opportunistic networks. We analyze dif- ferent collaboration-based communication solutions, em- phasizing their capabilities to opportunistically dissemi- nate data. We present the advantages and disadvantages of the analyzed solutions. Furthermore, we propose the categories of a taxonomy that captures the capabilities of data dissemination techniques used in opportunistic net- works. Using the categories of the proposed taxonomy, we also present a critical analysis of four opportunistic data dissemination solutions. To our knowledge, a classication of data dissemination techniques has never been previously proposed.
Opportunistic networks are one of the most interesting evolutions of MANETs. In opportunistic networks, mobile nodes are enabled to communicate with each other even if a route connecting them never exists. Furthermore, nodes are not supposed to possess or acquire any knowledge about the network topology, which (instead) is necessary in traditional MANET routing protocols. Routes are built dynamically, while messages are en route between the sender and the destination(s), and any possible node can opportunistically be used as next hop, provided it is likely to bring the message closer to the final destination. These requirements make opportunistic networks a challenging and promising research field. In this article we survey the most interesting case studies related to opportunistic networking and discuss and organize a taxonomy for the main routing and forwarding approaches in this challenging environment. We finally envision further possible scenarios to make opportunistic networks part of the next-generation Internet