Energy Conservation in WSNs: A Collaborative Information Processing Approach

We revisit the problem of data redundancy in Wireless Sensor Networks (WSNs) from a Collaborative Signal and Information Processing (CSIP) perspective. We propose an Information Processing and Communication Reduction (IPCR) scheme that utilizes spectrum sensing to detect and eliminate data redundancy. IPCR adapts its functionality according to data-space correlations and is independent of spatial and temporal field correlations. Its operation is also independent of the underlying Medium Access Control (MAC) scheme and does not require location information. Compared to spatial/temporal correlation-based signal and information processing techniques, IPCR can achieve up to N-fold reduction in communication complexity, where N is the number of nodes in a neighborhood.