Sensor Networks – Part I

Dr. Sudip Misra

Associate Professor
Department of Computer Science and Engineering
IIT KHARAGPUR
Email: smisra@sit.iitkgp.ernet.in
Website: http://cse.iitkgp.ac.in/~smisra/

Introduction to Internet of Things 1

Wireless Sensor Networks (WSNs)
▪ Consists of a large number of sensor nodes, densely deployed over an area.
▪ Sensor nodes are capable of collaborating with one another and measuring
the condition of their surrounding environments (i.e. Light, temperature,
sound, vibration).
▪ The sensed measurements are then transformed into digital signals and
processed to reveal some properties of the phenomena around sensors.
▪ Due to the fact that the sensor nodes in WSNs have short radio transmission
range, intermediate nodes act as relay nodes to transmit data towards the
sink node using a multi-hop path.

Introduction to Internet of Things 2

Multi-hop Path in WSNs

Introduction to Internet of Things 3

Basic Components of a Sensor Node

Introduction to Internet of Things 4

Sensor Nodes
▪ Multifunctional
▪ The number of sensor nodes
used depends on the application
type.
▪ Short transmission ranges
▪ Have OS (e.g., TinyOS).
▪ Battery Powered – Have
limited life.

Image source: Wikimedia Commons

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Constraints on Sensor Nodes
▪ Small size, typically less than a cubic cm.
▪ Must consume extremely low power
▪ Operate in an unattended manner in a highly dense area.
▪ Should have low production cost and be dispensable
▪ Be autonomous
▪ Be adaptive to the environment

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Applications
▪ Temperature measurement
▪ Humidity level
▪ Lighting condition
▪ Air pressure
▪ Soil makeup
▪ Noise level
a) Soil sensor node b) Temperature Flux sensor node
c) Weather sensor node
▪ Vibration
Image source: Wikimedia Commons

Introduction to Internet of Things 7

Single Source Single Object Detection
H

17 11

18 Source Obj
5
4 12 17 H
13

7 15
3
8
16
10
6

Source 2
Sink 9 14
H Human User

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Single Source Multiple Object Detection
B H
11 Obj
Source
17 H
17
17 V
V 18 17 B
5
4 12
13

7 15
3
8
16
10
Source 6

Sink
2
H Human
9 14
V Vehicle
B Building User

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Multiple Source Single Object Detection
2

Source Obj
1 1 V
17
2 V
11
4 V
V 15 V
4 15
17 V
18
5
12
6 13

7
3
8
16
Source 10

Sink
V Vehicle
9 14
User

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 Multiple Source Multiple Object Detection
1
9 Source Obj
H 1 H
B
1 B
4 11 4 B
17 9 H
6 18
5 17 H
V 12
4 V
2 3 13
2 V
7 15

Source 8
16
Sink 10

H Human
V Vehicle
B Building 14
User

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 H 6

B
2
15
9
17 11
Source Obj
6 H
1 V
18 2 B
5
4 12
13
V
1
7
3
Source 8
16
Sink 10

H Human
V Vehicle
B Building 14
User

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Challenges
▪ Scalability
▪ Providing acceptable levels of service in the presence of large
number of nodes.
▪ Typically, throughput decreases at a rate of 1 N , N = number of
nodes.
▪ Quality of service
▪ Offering guarantees in terms of bandwidth, delay, jitter, packet loss
probability.
▪ Limited bandwidth, unpredictable changes in RF channel
characteristics.

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 Challenges (contd.)
▪ Energy efficiency
▪ Nodes have limited battery power
▪ Nodes need to cooperate with other nodes for relaying their information.
▪ Security
▪ Open medium.
▪ Nodes prone to malicious attacks, infiltration, eavesdropping, interference.

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Sensor Web

Source: X. Chu and R. Buyya, “Service Oriented Sensor Web”, Sensor Networks and Configuration, Springer, 2007, pp. 51-74.

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Sensor Web WNS: Web
Notification
Services

SCS: Sensor
Collection Services

SPS: Sensor
Planning Services

SensorML: Sensor
Modeling language

Source: X. Chu and R. Buyya, “Service Oriented Sensor Web”, Sensor Networks and Configuration, Springer, 2007, pp. 51-74.

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Sensor Web Entanglement

▪ Observations & measurements (O&M)

▪ Sensor model language (sensorml)
▪ Transducer model language (transducerml or TML)
▪ Sensor observations service (SOS)
▪ Sensor planning service (SPS)
▪ Sensor alert service (SAS)
▪ Web notification services (WNS)

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Cooperation in Wireless Ad Hoc and Sensor Networks

▪ Nodes communicate with other nodes with the help of

intermediate nodes.
▪ The intermediate nodes act as relays.
▪ Wireless nodes are energy-constrained.
▪ Nodes may or may not cooperate.

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Cooperation in Wireless Ad Hoc and Sensor Networks

▪ Two extremities:
▪ Total cooperation: if all relay requests are accepted, nodes
will quickly exhaust limited energy.
▪ Total non-cooperation: if no relay requests are accepted,
the network throughput will go down rapidly.
▪ Issues:
▪ Selfishness, self-interests, etc.
▪ Symbiotic dependence
▪ Tradeoff: individual node’s lifetime vs. Throughput.

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Security Challenges in Cooperation
▪ Open, shared radio medium by the nodes, which dynamically
change positions.
▪ No centralized network management or certification authority.
▪ Existence of malicious nodes.
▪ Nodes prone to attacks, infiltration, eavesdropping,
interference.
▪ Nodes can be captured, compromised, false routing
information can be sent – paralyzing the whole network.
▪ The cooperating node or the node being cooperated might be
victimized.

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Acknowledgement
✓ "CSIRO ScienceImage 3876 A remote sensing node part of CSIROs Fleck wireless sensor
network technology.jpg", Stephan Brosnan, CSIRO, 21 May 2007, CC-BY-3.0, https://
commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/
File:CSIRO_ScienceImage_3876_A_remote_sensing_node_part_of_CSIROs_Fleck_wirele
ss_sensor_network_technology.jpg
✓ "T-UGS sensor.jpg", USA, 28 March 2008, PD US Army, https://
commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:T-UGS_sensor.jpg
✓ "T-UGS sensor2.jpg", USA, 28 March 2008, PD US Army, https://
commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:T-UGS_sensor2.jpg
✓ "FluxTeq PHFS01 Heat Flux Sensor.jpg", FluxTeq, 8 March 2017,CC-BY-SA-4.0,https://
commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:FluxTeq_PHFS01_Heat_Flux_Sensor.jpg

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Thank You!!

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