Random variation in coverage of sensor networks

Abstract

Wireless Sensor networks have become one of the most widely-used forms of ad-hoc networks which have countless number of applications in the modern life. Due to the unreliable communication medium and the failure prone sensors, coverage is an important functional property of a sensor network. Coverage is represented as a function of sensor density, which in turn depends on sensing range and the deployment function. The sensing range and the deployment function have random nature that can greatly affect sensor coverage. In this study, we subjected a densely deployed sensor network to stochastic variations in sensing range and deployment. Also, we captured deployment variations in space dimension by a random deployment pattern and a random noise. In addition, we considered time dependent random variation in noise and environmental factors. More specifically, we studied the effect of randomness resulting in a certain percentage of uncovered area in the network. © 2011 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg.