Distributed clustering in ad-hoc sensor networks: a hybrid, energy-efficient approach

Prolonged network lifetime, scalability, and load balancing are important requirements for many ad-hoc sensor network applications. Clustering sensor nodes is an effective technique for achieving these goals. In this work, we propose a new energy-efficient approach for clustering nodes in ad-hoc sensor networks. Based on this approach, we present a protocol, HEED (hybrid energy-efficient distributed clustering), that periodically selects cluster heads according to a hybrid of their residual energy and a secondary parameter, such as node proximity to its neighbors or node degree. HEED does not make any assumptions about the distribution or density of nodes, or about node capabilities, e.g., location-awareness.…