Maximizing data gathering in mobile wireless sensor networks

Abstract

Mobile sensors are expected to play a significant role in the next generation Internet of Things (IoT) networks, with sensors in vehicles, drones, robots and more. These mobile sensors participate in data gathering for various application scenarios. Some applications are information intensive in that huge chunks of data are required in order to make informative decisions. However, mobility in Wireless Sensor Networks greatly limits the amount of data that can be gathered. We therefore propose an approach for maximizing data gathering in mobile Wireless Sensor Networks. The main objective of this approach is to maximize the data gathering capability of the mobile sensor network for information intensive applications using a dual-stage maximization approach which involves maximizing data gathered within each cluster through a proper selection of cluster heads and maximizing data transmitted to the Base station from cluster heads using a near-optimal transmission duration. Simulation results of our proposed approach show significant data gathering performance gains.