A Framework for Modeling Sensor Networks

Recent technological advances are likely to increase sensor network development and deployment efforts. The expected growth in sensor network deployment requires efficient sensor network modeling techniques to facilitate initial programming of the sensor nodes and their eventual reprogramming once the network is deployed. The myriad of sensor network application scenarios, physical deployment media, communication technologies, and performance requirements complicates the efficient modeling of sensor networks. This paper proposes a framework for sensor network modeling based on general features identified through a careful analysis of existing sensor networks. This framework facilitates the modeling of new sensor networks by characterizing them according to these general features and providing a set of performance goals. The specification of each network’s performance requirements within this framework enables the appropriate selection of communication protocols. The discussion in this paper focuses on sensor network routing protocols, but the approach applies to any kind of communication protocols.