6 – Sensor Networks

Publisher Summary This chapter analyzes typical sensor network scenario, where sensors measure a data field (temperature) and the results of their measurements are transported across the network to a certain designated node called the sink. This is referred to as data gathering, and it is a relevant problem in various sensor network settings, where information from the network, in its coded form, is needed at a central base station node for storage, monitoring, or control purposes. It studies the interaction between data representation at nodes, rate allocation, and routing and node placement for gathering of correlated data in sensor networks. The results of work show that a joint consideration of these issues provides important improvements in the overall data gathering. Moreover, it considers the problem of energy efficient optimal node placement, data gathering of spatio-temporally correlated processes under delay constraints, and defines distortion measure that includes the effects of both spatial approximation and delay.