Using Hierarchical Agglomerative Clustering in Wireless Sensor Networks: An Energy-Efficient and Flexible Approach

In wireless sensor networks (WSNs), hierarchical network structures have the advantage of providing scalable and resource efficient solutions. Thus, finding an efficient way to generate clusters is an important topic in WSNs. To achieve this goal, this paper adapts the well-understood hierarchical agglomerative clustering (HAC) algorithm by proposing a distributed HAC (DHAC) algorithm. DHAC provides a bottom-up clustering approach by grouping similar nodes together before the cluster head (CH) is selected. DHAC can accommodate both quantitative and qualitative information types. With automatic CH rotation and rescheduling, DHAC avoids reclustering and achieves uniform energy dissipation through the whole network lifetime. Simulation results in the NS2 platform demonstrate the longer network lifetime of the DHAC than the better-known clustering protocols, LEACH and LEACH-C.