A novel energy-efficient data gathering algorithm for wireless sensor networks

Data gathering is one of the most important operations in wireless sensor networks. Since the nodes operate on limited power, it is a critical task to design an energy-efficient data gathering algorithm. In this paper, we propose an energy-efficient data gathering algorithm (EDGA) in which the network is grouped into clusters (each with a clusterhead) and the nodes form chains in each cluster. Firstly, a node, according to support degree from neighbors and its remaining energy, independently makes its decision to compete for becoming a clusterhead. Furthermore, the clusterhead adapts ant colony optimization (ACO) to schedule access sequence of nodes (chain). Simulation results show that EDGA can reduce energy consumption efficiently and prolong the network lifetime when compared with the conventional clustering method.