The emergence of the flying ad hoc network (FANET) has gained popularity after
COVID-19 pandemic. Due to disruptions in ground-based monitoring, aerial
monitoring has become the preferred approach. Aerial communication has become
essential, with multiple aerial vehicles equipped with sensors forming a FANET
in a specific geographical area. These vehicles communicate autonomously in an
ad-hoc fashion using hello packets, but the periodic transmission of these
packets consumes a significant amount of energy. This type of aerial
communication is particularly useful in infrastructure-fewer conditions, and the
transition from 4G to 5G infrastructure has further facilitated aerial
communication. To address limited flight periodicity of aerial vehicles due to
onboard battery constraints, a new deep hello routing, GeNp-ODHR has been
proposed to optimize the battery consumption and performance, which indirectly
extended the flight time by saving the energy. Through simulation-based testing
using Network Simulator version 3.0, GeNp-ODHR has been shown to achieve better
performance in terms throughput, packet delivery ratio, end-to-end delay, and
energy savings of approximately 4%–30%, indirectly extending the flight time.
This investigation has also explored the potetial of unmanned aerial vehicles in
the context of financial restrictions, technological infrastructure, and public
acceptance. Additionally, it has highlighted the implications in terms of energy
efficacy, scalability, and the recommendation for the next generation in
addressing social inequality and environmental sustainability.
