Many factors have given rise to the phenomenon of smart cities: the continuously growing population, the gradual migration of people to cities, and the advances of information and communication technologies. One of the biggest problems in the development of cities is traffic and urban mobility, that is, cities have to face the challenges of sustainable mobility in limited physical spaces. In this context, the concept of an intelligent transportation system has emerged. These systems seek to improve urban traffic, reduce pollution, and avoid congestion, among other goals. The goal of this book is to present the main concepts of intelligent transportation systems.

This book describes the state of the art of vehicular networks and the infrastructure needed to deploy them. The first chapters introduce the basic concepts of intelligent transportation systems, vehicular networks, and autonomous vehicles, characterizing the main architectures adopted across the world. The book then focuses on describing the main techniques and architectures proposed to allow communications among vehicles and among vehicles with network technologies. It also describes the cooperation among vehicles to create vehicular clouds. Finally, the book covers the main applications developed for vehicles for increasing safety, comfort, and traffic efficiency. It also presents the main simulation tools that can be used to evaluate new transportation system solutions.

In summary, researchers and practitioners who want a first look at this technology could use this book--it mainly presents the concepts and state of the art. However, researchers and students may also be interested in the last chapter, which describes some tools that can be used to simulate and test new approaches. The book could also be used to structure a course on urban mobility.