A Mobile-Agent-Based Collaborative Framework for Sensor Network Applications

In this paper, we present a multi-layered, middleware-driven, multi-agent, interoperable architecture for distributed sensor networks, that bridges the gap between the programmable application layer consisting of software agents and the physical layer consisting of extremely small, low power devices that combine programmable computing with sensing, tracking and wireless communication capabilities. We develop an energy-efficient approach for collaborative processing among multiple sensor nodes using a mobile-agent-based computing model. Unlike the traditional client/server-based model where each sensor node sends data to the sink, in this model the sink/base-station deploys mobile agents that migrate from node to node following a certain itinerary and fuses the information/data locally at each node. This way, the intelligence is distributed throughout the network edge and communication cost is reduced to make the sensor network energy-efficient. Simulation results show that the mobile-agent-based approach is advantageous for large distributed sensor network environment