Evaluation of overlay-based data dissemination over Wireless Sensor Networks

In tactical applications of Wireless Sensor Networks (WSNs), such as intruder detection, tracking, and patrol operations, there tend to be multiple, mobile end-users who work amidst the sensors in the field to which data from individual sensors must be directly delivered. Efficient data dissemination in such networks is a challenging problem, since sensors with detections must be able to identify functioning routes to all relevant end-users. In this research, we have developed a framework for efficient data dissemination over energy- and bandwidth-constrained WSNs, which accommodates end-user mobility. Our technical approach is based on communication abstractions provided by HyperCast [30], which is an open-source platform for application-layer communication. We use the Delaunay Triangulation (DT) topology of HyperCast to organize the one-to-many and one-toone communications from sensors to end users and sensors to sensors, respectively. The advantages of HyperCast based data dissemination are discussed in detail and are compared to other communication protocols. We illustrate this framework in a “Patrol Scenario” simulation testbed, involving a set of unattended ground sensors and mobile end users trying to maximize both (i) the rate of capturing intruders passing through an area of interest and (ii) the operating lifetime of the sensor field.