Optimal sensor placement strategy for environmental monitoring using Wireless Sensor Networks

• Published in: 2010 42nd Southeastern Symposium on System Theory (SSST) pp. 275 - 279
• Main Authors: Castello, Charles C, Fan, Jeffrey, Davari, Asad, Ruei-Xi Chen
• Format: Conference Proceeding
• Language: English
• Published: IEEE 01-03-2010
• Subjects: Analysis of variance; Classical Variography; Energy efficiency; Environmental Monitoring; Geostatistical Analysis; Media Access Protocol; Mesh generation; Monitoring; Monte Carlo Analysis; Monte Carlo methods; Optimal Sensor Placement; Ordinary Point Kriging; Routing protocols; Sensor phenomena and characterization; Soil measurements; Wireless Sensor Network; Wireless sensor networks; WSN
• ISBN: 1424456908; 9781424456901
• ISSN: 0094-2898; 2161-8135
• DOI: 10.1109/SSST.2010.5442825

This paper presents a novel strategy in determining an optimal sensor placement scheme for environmental monitoring using Wireless Sensor Networks (WSN). This is accomplished by minimizing the variance of spatial analysis based on randomly chosen points representing the sensor locations. These points are assigned randomly generated measurements based on a specified distribution. Spatial analysis is employed using Geostatistical Analysis (classical variography and ordinary point kriging) and optimization occurs with Monte Carlo Analysis. A simple example of measuring mercury in soil is illustrated in finding the optimal sensor placement using WSNs. Studied variables include the number of sensor locations, variances, and Monte Carlo repetitions.