Topology Control and Routing in Large Scale Wireless Sensor Networks

In this paper, a two-tiered Wireless Sensor Network (WSN) where nodes are divided into clusters and nodes forward data to base stations through cluster heads is considered. To maximize the network lifetime, two energy efficient approaches are investigated. We first propose an approach that optimally locates the base stations within the network so that the distance between each cluster head and its closest base station is decreased. Then, a routing technique is developed to arrange the communication between cluster heads toward the base stations in order to guaranty that the gathered information effectively and efficiently reach the application. The overall dynamic framework that combines the above two schemes is described and evaluated. The experimental performance evaluation demonstrates the efficacy of topology control as a vital process to maximize the network lifetime of WSNs.