Performance analysis of co-operative MIMO channel model for a tree canopy terrain

Wireless Sensor networks have become a part and parcel of our daily life. New protocols have been proposed every day aiming towards improving their reliability and quality of service. One such unique application of wireless sensor network is ecological monitoring. Approximately 26.19% of the Earth's surface is covered by forest and India is among the world's top ten most forest-rich countries. Monitoring and management of forest resources greatly demands a scientific management approach. Experimental forests are designated sites used for research work by scientists. The study is based on research and restoration of wildlife, plant population, effects of climate change and pollution. Experimental forests play an important role in conservation of our natural resource. Man, and the economy are inextricably linked to forests. Food, water, wood and medicines have been major bi-products on which more than 1billion people depend every day. Establishing a wireless communication network for a tree canopy terrain like forests calls for a real time based technology that is self-adaptive. Fading and shadowing are major concerns in establishing communication wirelessly in a forest environment. To overcome these challenges, technique of cooperative communication with amplify and forward scheme in the relay node is adopted. Node hopping technique mitigates the power constraint in nodes, thereby improving the overall network lifetime. The performance is verified using symbol error rate for a QPSK modulation in a two-hop network.