Publication Type

Journal Article

Version

publishedVersion

Publication Date

12-2005

Abstract

In this paper we investigate the expected lifetime and information capacity, defined as the maximum amount of data (bits) transferred before the first sensor node death due to energy depletion, of a data-gathering wireless sensor network. We develop a fluid-flow based computational framework that extends the existing approach, which requires precise knowledge of the layout/deployment of the network, i.e., exact sensor positions. Our method, on the other hand, views a specific network deployment as a particular instance (sample path) from an underlying distribution of sensor node layouts and sensor data rates. To compute the expected information capacity under this distribution-based viewpoint, we model parameters such as the node density, the energy density and the sensed data rate as continuous spatial functions. This continuous-space flow model is then discretized into grids and solved using a linear programming approach. Numerical studies show that this model produces very accurate results, compared to averaging over results from random instances of deployment, with significantly less computation. Moreover, we develop a robust version of the linear program, which generates robust solutions that apply not just to a specific deployment, but also to topologies that are appropriately perturbed versions. This is especially important for a network designer studying the fundamental lifetime limit of a family of network layouts, since the lifetime of specific network deployment instances may differ appreciably. As an example of this model's use, we determine the optimal node distribution for a linear network and study the properties of optimal routing that maximizes the lifetime of the network.

Keywords

mathematical programming, linear program, optimization, system design, wireless sensor networks, lifetime, capacity, sensor deployment, node distribution, optimal routing, fluid flow model, robustness, stability

Discipline

Software Engineering

Research Areas

Software and Cyber-Physical Systems

Publication

Mobile Networks and Applications

Volume

10

Issue

6

First Page

811

Last Page

824

ISSN

1383-469X

Identifier

10.1007/s11036-005-4440-x

Publisher

Springer Verlag

Comments

Special Issue on Energy Constraints and Lifetime Performance in Wireless Sensor Networks

Additional URL

http://doi.org/10.1007/s11036-005-4440-x

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