Extending the Lifetime of Wireless Sensor Networks with Spatial Data Aggregation

In this paper, we propose mechanisms to extend the lifetime of wireless sensor networks. In-network data aggregation is considered on both tree-based and flow-based routing protocols during the process of data collection to reduce redundant transmissions. In tree-based data collection schemes, we adjust the tree structure judiciously to balance energy consumption before any node´s failure due to total residual energy depletion. In flow-based schemes, after aggregation, data flows are split and the fragments are spread to increase network lifetime. We investigate the impact of performing greedily data aggregation at the "best" aggregation site regardless of its location, the results of our analysis show that only applying 2-way data aggregation may limit the ability to explore more complex aggregation possibilities.