A new data gathering paradigm for wireless sensor networks

Wireless sensor networks constitute a special kind of ad hoc network. Fostered by recent advance in Micro-electro-mechanical system (MEMS) and wireless communication technology, sensor node can be made as very inexpensive while with certain calculation ability. Deployed in a large amount and by collaborative effort, these sensor nodes can finish lots of sensing task, data processing and communicating useful information. Data gathering is a broad research area in wireless sensor network. In this paper, we consider the problem of routing between the base station and remote data sources via intermediate sensor nodes in a hierarchical sensor network. Sensor nodes having limited and unreplenishable power resources, both path length and path energy cost are important metrics affecting sensor lifetime. In this paper, we model the formation of length and energy constrained paths, and define the new criteria for energy-latency-optimal routing paths selection. We then propose a distributed data gathering protocol called ELAG (Energy and Latency Aware data Gathering). This protocol balances energy consumption across the network by periodically determining a new optimal path consistent with associated energy distributions. Simulation results testify to the effectiveness of the protocol in producing a longer network lifetime