  Vehicular Networks enable a vast number of innovative applications, which
rely on the efficient exchange of information between vehicles. However,
efficient and reliable data dissemination is a particularly challenging task in
the context of vehicular networks due to the underlying properties of these
networks, limited availability of network infrastructure and variable
penetration rates for distinct communication technologies. This paper presents
a novel system and mechanism for information dissemination based on virtual
infrastructure selection in combination with multiple communication
technologies. The system has been evaluated using a simulation framework,
involving network simulation in conjugation with realistic vehicular mobility
traces. The presented simulation results show the feasibility of the proposed
mechanism to achieve maximum message penetration with reduced overhead.
Compared with a cellular-based only solution, our mechanism shows that the
judicious vehicle selection can lead to improved network utilization through
the offload of traffic to the short-range communication network.
