The d-hop k-data coverage query problem in wireless sensor networks

The task of querying wireless sensor network (WSN) to retrieve data of interest is very significant and a wealth of query types have been proposed in the context of WSNs. This article describes the d-hop k-data coverage query problem, which is a novel query type, aiming at extracting "feature(s) distribution maps" from WSNs. This problem generalizes earlier research problems, like top-k, skyband, and d-hop dominating sets. For this problem, we provide a fully distributed solution, the DaCoN protocol, that avoids constructing a "network spanner", since such a structure requires an expensive initialization procedure, misses the notion of neighborhoods, and most importantly, it creates hot-spots of communication, that shorten the network lifetime (i.e., some nodes deplete their energy very fast). We have developed a simulator to study the performance and behavior of the DaCoN protocol for various sensornet topologies and data distributions, and the obtained results attested the energy-efficiency and effectiveness of the protocol.