Presentation: MOFCA: Multi-Objective Fuzzy Clustering Algorithm for Wireless Sensor Networks

When: June 20, 2016, 10:00-11:00

Where: Zi 2024

Who: Alper Sert

This study introduces a new clustering approach which is not only 
energy-efficient but also distribution-independent for Wireless Sensor Networks 
(WSNs). Clustering is used as a means of efficient data gathering technique in 
terms of energy consumption. In clustered networks, each node transmits acquired 
data to a cluster-head which the nodes belong to. After a cluster-head collects 
all the data from all member nodes, it transmits the data to the base station 
(sink) either in a compressed or uncompressed manner. This data transmission 
occurs via other cluster-heads in a multi-hop network environment. As a result 
of this situation, cluster-heads close to the sink tend to die earlier because 
of the heavy inter-cluster relay. This problem is named as the hotspots problem. 
To solve this problem, some unequal clustering approaches have already been 
introduced in the literature. Unequal clustering techniques generate clusters in 
smaller sizes when approaching the sink in order to decrease intra-cluster 
relay. In addition to the hotspots problem, the energy hole problem may also 
occur because of the changes in the node deployment locations. Although a number 
of previous studies have focused on energy-efficiency in clustering, to the best 
of our knowledge, none considers both problems in uniformly and non-uniformly 
distributed networks. Therefore, we propose a multi-objective solution for these 
problems. In this study, we introduce a multi-objective fuzzy clustering 
algorithm (MOFCA) that addresses both hotspots and energy hole problems in 
stationary and evolving networks. Performance analysis and evaluations are done 
with popular clustering algorithms and obtained experimental results show that 
MOFCA outperforms the existing algorithms in the same set up in terms of 
efficiency metrics, which are First Node Dies (FND), Half of the Nodes Alive 
(HNA), and Total Remaining Energy (TRE) used for estimating the lifetime of the 
WSNs and efficiency of protocols.