Integer-based optimisations for resource-constrained sensor platforms

In this paper we argue that the fundamental constrains of WSNs impose the need to re-discover programming optimisation techniques that were widely used a few decades ago but are less common today, at least in the conventional computing arena. Integer techniques, code tuning and profiling are absolutely essential in the world of the very small devices. We present three alternative methods of integer programming: scaling, fixed-point and rational arithmetic. These techniques are complemented by a brief review of bitwise and general optimisation techniques. As artifact of the usefulness of these techniques, we discuss the implementation details of a data mining algorithm that gained over a factor of 10 improvement in performance as a result of integer programming. We conclude by presenting a widely accepted time model adapted for a WSN platform