Adaptive data dissemination protocol for wireless sensor networks

Abstract

In terms of data delivery required by the application, WSN can be categorized as continuous or event-driven. The former type provides an accurate snapshot of relevant attributes with high energy consumption, whereas the latter type is more energy efficient and yet less accurate because only sudden and drastic changes in the value of a sensed attribute trigger data delivery. In this paper, we propose a hybrid data delivery protocol that adaptively switches between these two data dissemination schemes. That is, during the period when the condition referring to an event is met, sensor nodes continuously send data to an observer. However, when the condition is no longer valid, the protocol behaves as event-driven, thus eliminating unnecessary data transmission. As such, the proposed protocol is able to enable an accurate analysis of the environment being monitored with moderate consumption of valuable resources. © 2010 Springer-Verlag.