Swarm Intelligence for Resource Management in Internet of Things

India

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Swarm intelligence algorithms and their applications in Internet of Things

Aliaa F. Raslan ¹ , Ahmed F. Ali ² and Ashraf Darwish ³ ,     ¹ Higher Institute for Management Information Systems, Suez, Egypt,     ² Department of Computer Science, Faculty of Computers & Informatics, Suez Canal University, Ismailia, Egypt,     ³ Faculty of Science, Helwan University, Cairo, Egypt

Abstract

The Internet of Things (IoT) is a global network. In this network physical objects or things are combined with digital components. It enables these things to connect, aggregate, and interchange data with each other to generate a novel category of services and applications. The IoT network can grow rapidly resulting in an exponential increase in the variety, velocity and the overall volume of data. As a result, there are challenges facing the IoT such as energy, storage, connectivity, security, and privacy. Swarm intelligence (SI) is an artificial intelligence approach which is inspired by natural behavior to solve optimization problems. We review in this paper the implementation of the cluster head process using some proper SI algorithms for improving energy awareness in IoT and expand the network lifetime.

Keywords

Internet of Things (IoT); swarm intelligence algorithms; cluster head selection; global optimization

1.1 Introduction

The Internet of Things (IoT) is considered to be one of the most important technologies that will make a huge change to the world. IoT means that everything (both digital and physical objects) around us is connected via the internet and has the capability to sense, process, connect, and operate. This allows new classes of services and applications [1]. A lot of challenges existing in the IoT need to be solved to achieve such applications and services.

Swarm intelligence (SI) has been inspired by the collective conduct of local interaction between insects or animals like termites, ants, cats, fishes, or birds [2,3]. Many SI algorithms have been proposed and used in efficient manner in a large scope of problems and proved their success in resolving the world’s problem. SI is an important example of algorithms that can transact complicated issues like system problems of the IoT. We can represent systems of IoT like a swarm of devices and combine it with SI algorithms to overcome a lot of challenges [4].

IoT devices work by batteries that are characterized by a limited and nonrenewable energy supply. These devices consume energy during sensing, processing, and transmitting data which leads to a reduction in the IoT network lifetime. Therefore, the reduction of energy consumption is considered to be the main challenge in the IoT and it is necessary to expand the lifetime for the IoT network. Clustering is an important technique that can minimize the consumption of energy for the IoT network. The selection of a cluster head (CH) in a wireless sensor network (WSN) is considered to be a serious method in order to conserve energy in the network. In this work, we review the implementations related to the CH process using metaheuristic algorithms for improving energy awareness in IoT and expanding the network lifetime.

The chapter includes the following sections: Sections 1.2 and 1.3 represent the meaning of SI algorithms and the IoT, respectively. Section 1.4 reviews the use of recently proposed SI algorithms to achieve the efficient CH selection in the IoT systems and thus save more energy and expand the network lifetime. Finally, the paper concludes in Section 1.5.

1.2 Swarm intelligence techniques

The origins of the term SI date back to the 1980s and Beni, who presented a category of cellular robot systems. This was used in different area of studies for optimization problems [5].

The meaning of SI in accordance with Collins Dictionary is an artificial intelligence (AI) approach for solving the issues by algorithms, these algorithms depend on the collective conduct of insects that organized by themselves [4]. Any SI system consists of a colony of simple agents (such as an individual ant in an ant colony), and each agent in the colony interacts with their neighbor and their environment to accomplish their goals. As a result, together they can accomplish larger goals and solve real-world problems. According to computer science domain, SI can be defined as a collection of algorithms and concepts, which present and formalize this intelligence behavior. From the point of view of AI or computer science, the SI definition can be as follows: swarm intelligence is a set of intelligent systems inspired by the collective intelligence of a group. This collective intelligence is accomplished within the direct or indirect interactions between agents which are homogeneous in nature, yet collaborate with each other in their local environment without taking into account the global pattern.

1.2.1 Swarm intelligence and nature-inspired algorithms

Many SI and nature-inspired (NI) algorithms that depend on the collective conduct of natural swarms have been developed to solve many problems. These algorithms mimic the insects [6–11], birds [12,13], animals [14–19], simple organisms [20,21], fishes [22–25], and mammals, when they search for food or mates, by sharing their information to reach the goal. They have been classified into categories as shown in Fig. 1–1.

Figure 1–1 Categories of SI and NI-based algorithms.

1.2.2 Key characteristics for swarm intelligence systems

Any SI-based system should include the following three properties: self-organization (SO), stigmergy, and division of labor:

• SO: considered as one of the most important properties of SI systems. SO is one global behavior or the property of SI systems that is accomplished by the interactions between its lower level agents; these interactions rely on a collection of rules. The key element of these rules is that there is no need for external governance to control the local behavior of agents.

• Stigmergy: the interaction rules should interact with any change in the environment and the agent should be able to adapt to this change autonomously and continue to achieve its function.

• Division of labor: each agent in the swarm has a limited capability to achieve the goal for the entire swarm. For this reason, the natural system uses the division of labor with agents to execute a set of specific functions that lead to the overall success of the swarm.

1.3 Internet of Things

Over 15 years ago, a significant new title or term was christened called the Internet of Things. This term originates at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) [26,27] and after that, the term has been improved and expanded behind the range of radio frequency indentification (RFID) technologies. IoT expands internet connectivity behind conventional devices such as tablets, smartphones, personal computers, and laptops to a continuously growing network of everyday objects/things. This network uses distinctive technology for connecting and reacting with the environment and enables things to aggregate and interchange data via the internet. The IoT has the ability to connect many resources to each other to provide smart services in various applications [28]. A large number of organizations in different industries utilize IoT increasingly to work in an efficient manner, that is, to understand clients in a better way to deliver improved customer service, to take decisions, and to enhance business values. These achievements have proved the effectiveness and promising future of IoT in different application areas.

1.3.1 Internet of Things definitions

A huge number of definitions for the IoT have been proposed, these definitions include three types [29]. The first type includes the definitions that focus on things that are associated in the IoT. The second type includes definitions that are interested with the correlated concepts for the internet, like protocols and technology of networks. Challenges of the IoT, like searching, storing, and organizing huge amounts of information have been involved in the final type [26]. The IoT can be defined in different forms:

• IoT is defined as the system, which is associated with devices, people, animals, mechanical, and digital tools or another different thing. All of these components have unique identities and can convey data via the network with no need for humans [30–33].

• IoT is a network consisting of a large number of sensors, appliances, and buildings connected to the internet to generate, gather, and interchange enormous volumes of data [6,34].

• IoT means the global infrastructure for the knowledge community that enabling developed services by interlink between physical and virtual things depending on current and developing, interoperable information and communication technologies according to the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) [35].

• IoT is powerful connectedness among the digital and the real world [26].

• IoT is a dynamic global network infrastructure having self-configuring abilities depend on conventional and interoperable communication protocols where physical and virtual things have virtual characters and physical properties also utilize smart interfaces, and can be combined easily into the information network [36].

• IoT is objects owning identities and virtual personalities working in smart areas by utilizing smart interfaces to connect and interact inside the environmental, social, and user contexts [37].

• According to the semantic concept IoT refers to a worldwide network of things that communicate with each other and can deal with it in a unique way depending on conventional communication protocols [38].

• From the concept of machine-to-machine (M2M), IoT defined as a network contains billions of intelligent devices which connect with individuals and several applications to gather and participate data also M2M presents the connection that allows IoT [39].

• According to the European Union, IoT means a network of things/objects, these things can connect with users, society and environment [40].

1.3.2 Key characteristics for Internet of Things

There are a lot of characteristics for the IoT which vary from one domain to another, some of the general and key characteristics include [41]

• Intelligence: IoT consists of the combination of algorithms and computation, software and hardware that makes it smart. Intelligence in IoT improves its capabilities, which enable the things to respond in an intelligent way to a specific situation and help them to execute specific tasks.

• Connectivity: anything in the IoT, like sensors, devices, and actuators, can be connected with the global information and each other.

• Dynamic changes: the devices of the IoT can change their state dynamically, which means sleeping and wake up, connecting and disconnecting, and also the location, speed, and the number of devices can be changed.

• Things: includes everything that can be connected such as sensors and devices.

• Enormous scale: the number of appliances that connect with each other and need to be managed will be greater than the appliances connected to the internet at