A Novel Deployment Algorithm Based on Fluid Dynamics Approach

In this paper, we propose a deployment algorithm for mobile sensor networks, based on fluid dynamics in three-dimensional circumstance. In our algorithm, the entire wireless sensor network is viewed as a fluid body while nodes as charged particles. In the algorithm, nodes tend to spread out into the deployment area automatically, driven by the interaction force between nodes and nodes, nodes and obstacles, as well as nodes and boundaries. We achieve the desirable properties of self-adaption, robustness and simpleness, so that it is especially applicable to deployment in unknown environments. The performance indices of coverage and uniformity are evaluated by simulation. Simultaneously, we utilize digital satellite map nearby Midway Islands sea area to check the deployment effect in simulation, and the results show that our approach can guarantee a desired level of coverage. Moreover, the application of digital satellite map also provides a new approach for studying deployment of virtual reality in sensor networks.