Area Coverage in Hybrid Wireless Sensor Networks: Issues and Pragmatic Solutions

Recent advancements in Micro-Electro-Mechanical Systems have augmented research in Wireless Sensor Networks (WSN) capable of providing unprecedented high precision and high fidelity sensory data. Success of a deployed WSN largely depends on whether the network can provide desired sensory area coverage with acceptable network lifetime. This task becomes even more challenging if we consider the constraints of wireless sensor networks such as low processing power and bandwidth, limited memory and battery life, and short radio ranges. This book addresses the problem of area coverage estimation and enhancement in its entirety from deployment to the operational stage of network. A hybrid sensor network, where only a few of the nodes are mobility capable is proposed to reduce the overall cost of the network while providing the necessary re- configuration capabilities to reach an adequate coverage level. This book provides design and evaluation of pragmatic solutions that would help lower the technical barriers in the real world deployment of long-lived hybrid WSN.