Mobile Agent-Based Data Collection In Wireless Sensor Networks

Sensor networks that integrate sensor, MEMS (Micro Electro-Mechanical Systems) and networks technologies is about obtaining and processing information. Its functions are collaborative sensing, gathering and processing the information of sensing targets in the target region, and sending to observer. The most important function of sensor networks is gathering data which relates to energy consumption in networks. There are many constrains in wireless sensor networks. These constraints come from the sensor nodes with energy limitations, from the networks with typically large, faulty and bandwidth-limited networks, and from the applications with timeliness needs. Under this background, this thesis proposes to use the mobile agent technology in wireless sensor networks .A mobile agent has the essential characteristic such as self-determination, reactivity and automaticity, its mobility makes it can move from one host to another in networks to represent users to do specified work. The computing pattern of mobile agent can decrease network load effectively in distributed computing. It can also improve efficiency of communication, support commuting away with network. It can dynamically adapt itself to network surrounding. Mobile agent has merits of security and tolerant. In the research fields the study of agent technologies is mostly at the theoretical level. There are few successful applications with mobile agents.Based on above merit of mobile agents, we found that mobile agents are suitable for wireless sensor networks.We use mobile agents for data collection in wireless sensor networks. And ant colony algorithm is used to design the route of mobile Agents. Using mobile Agents technologies can implement flexible, robust, and distributed data collection in wireless sensor networks.