Multiple Sink Placement in Partitioned Wireless Sensor Networks

Multiple sink deployment in large-scale wireless sensor networks (WSNs) can reduce transmission distance between source nodes to sink. This reduces energy consumption for data transmission and extends the network life time. However, proper placement of sinks has a great impact on the performance of the WSNs. This paper introduces six sink placement strategies and discusses their advantages and disadvantages. The network is assumed to be partitioned into several sub-networks and therefore the objective of each strategy is to place a sink in each partition. These strategies are based on a grid structure that divides the network into square-shaped grid cells. Results of application of the six strategies in a network with random deployment of sensor nodes are analyzed. Performances of the network after application of these strategies are also analyzed and analysis results are presented in this paper.