A Clustering Algorithm for Wireless Sensor Networks Based on Social Insect Colonies

A wireless sensor network comprises a number of inexpensive power constrained wireless sensor nodes which collect data from the sensing environment and transmit them toward the remote base station in a coordinated way. Employing techniques of clustering can reduce energy consumption of wireless sensor nodes and prolong the network lifetime. This paper proposes a decentralized clustering algorithm for wireless sensor networks based on the structure of social insect colonies. The clustering algorithm is evaluated assuming a first-order radio model. Simulation results show that the proposed algorithm brings a consistent improvement over other decentralized and centralized clustering algorithms in terms of network lifetime and sensing coverage. Simulation results also show that the proposed algorithm can reduce delays in data collection processes. © 2006 IEEE.