Agent-based Evaluation of Two Protocols for Coverage Control in Sensor Networks

A sensor network is composed of low-cost, low-power nodes densely deployable over a (possibly in-hospitable) territory in order to monitor the state of the environment, e.g., temperature, sound, radiation and so forth. Sensors have the ability to self-organize in an interconnected network so as to cooperatively collect, aggregate and disseminate information to end users. Major challenges in dealing with sensor networks are the strong limitations imposed by finite onboard power capacity. This paper proposes two protocols for topology control, i.e. finding a minimal configuration of active sensors that properly covers the target area while ensuring an adequate power conservation schema. In both protocols the overall objective is achieved as an emerging property. An agent-based simulation model, enabling efficient simulation of large sensor networks, is exploited for the evaluation of the protocols.