Efficiency of Distributed Compression and its Dependence on Sensor Node Deployments

In this paper we analyze the energy-efficiency of distributed compression and its dependence on the node deployment strategies for Wireless Sensor Networks (WSNs). Reduced energy and bandwidth usage can be achieved by Distributed Source Coding (DSC) which is a lossless compression technique used in, for example, data gathering applications. We evaluate the performance of clustered WSNs applying DSC under various topologies and different cluster head selection schemes. The topologies considered are obtained from three different node deployment models which are fundamentally based on random point processes. Those models cover the extreme deployment cases and allow direct comparison between various scenarios. The evaluation takes into account the packet header costs and the signal processing costs associated with DSC. Additionally, the applied energy model makes use of measurements obtained from real experiments. The simulations results show very good performance in terms of energy-efficiency. Furthermore, significant average energy savings and average lifetime extensions are possible using DSC under different deployment strategies. This study also leads to the identification of the best fitting deployment strategy in relation to the characteristics of different sensed phenomena. Hence, the proposed approach is particularly suited to support the optimization of networks in realistic environments.