A fast exploration technique in WSN for partition recovery using mobile nodes

Area exploration in WSN is used for a multitude of applications from data collection to network maintenance. In this paper, we propose a new approach - Max-Gain approach to explore an area with obstacles by modifying the utility function of frontier-based approach. The proposed approach moves the mobile nodes to a distant unexplored optimal position rather than directing it to a near frontier. The main focus of this paper is the fast area exploration using mobile nodes. We extend this approach to recover partitions in a disconnected network and hence restore connectivity. The results indicate that our approach guarantees fast area exploration with minimum communication overhead. Proposed area exploration approach is not limited to wireless sensor networks, but to any area exploration applications using mobile units.