Enabling low-latency digital twins for large-scale UAV networks using MQTT-based communication framework

Abstract

In recent developments within large-scale Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) networking, ensuring the accuracy and timeliness of real-time status updates has become increasingly critical. This paper proposes a new Centralized Message Queuing Telemetry Transport (MQTT)-based Communication framework(CMQC) specifically designed to improve real-time data transmission within a simulated large-scale UAV network. The primary objective of this study is to demonstrate the superior performance of the proposed framework in comparison to traditional communication methods such as MQTT, Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) socket-based communication, and Constrained Application Protocol (CoAP). Key performance metrics such as inter-process time interval, total completion time, jitter, and Age of Information (AoI) are evaluated to substantiate these improvements. Experimental results confirm that the MQTT-based framework significantly enhances real-time update capabilities, reduces latency, and improves overall network efficiency. These findings suggest that the proposed framework is a viable solution for enabling low-latency digital twins in large-scale UAV networks.