Routing algorithms for delay-insensitive and delay-sensitive applications in underwater sensor networks

Abstract

Underwater sensor networks consist of sensors and vehicles deployed to perform collaborative monitoring tasks over a given region. Underwater sensor networks will find applications in oceanographic data collection, pollution monitoring, offshore exploration, disaster prevention, assisted navigation, tactical surveillance, and mine reconnaissance. Underwater acoustic networking is the enabling technology for these applications. In this paper, an architecture for three-dimensional underwater sensor networks is considered, and a model characterizing the acoustic channel utilization efficiency is introduced, which allows investigating some fundamental characteristics of the underwater environment. In particular, the model allows setting the optimal packet size for underwater communications given monitored volume, density of the sensor network, and application requirements. Moreover, the problem of data gathering is investigated at the network layer by considering the cross-layer interactions between the routing functions and the characteristics of the underwater acoustic channel. Two distributed routing algorithms are introduced for delay-insensitive and delaysensitive applications. The proposed solutions allow each node to select its next hop, with the objective of minimizing the energy consumption taking the varying condition of the underwater channel and the different application requirements into account. The proposed routing solutions are shown to achieve the performance targets by means of simulation.

Underwater Acoustic Networks: Channel Models and Network Coding Based Lower Bound to Transmission Power for Multicast

“…References [6], [7] and [8] present surveys of different routing schemes used in underwater networks. In [3] two distributed routing algorithms are introduced for delay-insensitive and delay-sensitive applications. Reference [4] presents a modification of the dynamic source routing protocol that adds location awareness and link quality metrics.…”

Underwater sensor networks: applications, advances and challenges

“…While there are many papers on ad hoc routing for wireless radio networks, routing design for underwater networks is still being actively studied. Early work on underwater routing includes that by Pompili et al [31], where distributed protocols are proposed for both delaysensitive and delay-insensitive applications and allow nodes to select the next hop with the objective of minimizing the energy consumption while taking into account the specific characteristics of acoustic propagation as well as the application requirements. A geographical approach is proposed in Zorzi et al [32], where a theoretical analysis has shown that it is possible to identify an optimal advancement that the nodes should locally try to achieve in order to minimize the total path energy consumption.…”

Distributed Medium Access Control Strategies for MIMO Underwater Acoustic Networking

“…In [4], two distributed routing algorithms are introduced for delay-insensitive and delay-sensitive applications. The proposed routing solutions allow each node to select the optimal next hop, transmitting power, and strength of the forward error correction algorithm, with the objective of minimizing the energy consumption.…”