Heuristic Design and Energy Conservation of Wireless Sensor Networks for Precision Agriculture

Abstract: A heuristic optimization algorithm for adaptive wireless sensor network design and energy management for precision agriculture is presented. The algorithm takes into account application-specific requirements, communication constraints and energy conservation characteristics. Genetic algorithms are used as the optimization tool of the developed system and an appropriate fitness function is developed to incorporate many aspects of network performance. It is shown that optimal sensor network designs constructed by the genetic algorithm system satisfy all application-specific requirements, fulfill the connectivity constraints and incorporate energy conservation characteristics. Energy management is optimized to guarantee maximum life duration of the network without lack of the network characteristics required by the precision agriculture application