A Party-based Cluster Head Selection Algorithm for Wireless Sensor Networks

A wireless sensor network (WSN) is composed of many small sensors with limited energy that are deployed in a large geographical region. The Low-Energy Adaptive Clustering Hierarchy (LEACH) is a well-known cluster head selection algorithm for WSNs. Over the years, there have been many improvements to the LEACH algorithm in terms of the choice of the cluster head. One such protocol is V-LEACH, where every cluster has a vice-cluster head in addition to the cluster head, so that it can take over if the cluster head dies. But these two algorithms adopted the stochastic cluster head selection, leading to unbalanced partitioning of clusters. This leads to a negative impact on the network lifetime. To address this problem, this paper proposes a (Political) Party-based Cluster Head selection algorithm called PartyCH. The proposed algorithm utilizes multiple dynamic decision parameters such as residual energy, distance, and neighbourhood degree to elect the Cluster Head and Vice Cluster Head. This adaptive selection guarantees longer network lifetime by minimizing energy consumption and routing overhead. The comprehensive comparisons between PartyCH against both LEACH and V-LEACH protocols are provided and analysed. The simulation results indicate an improvement in network lifetime by over 150%.