Reliable Data Collection for Wireless Sensor Networks Using Unmanned Aerial Vehicles

Data gathering is a subject of interest in Wireless Sensor Networks (WSNs). Because these networks use devices with limited resources, to obtain good results, they must be well configured and distributed, while data must be gathered in an efficient manner, without wasting resources. In this paper, the factors used as a trade-off for a reliable transmission are: complexity and latency. In order to obtain reliability, it is mandatory to make more frame exchanges and to employ extra communication between entities, to ensure that data is not corrupted or lost during transmission. The objective of this paper is centered around reliable communication in WSNs and the proposed solution minimizes the risk of losing data when nodes remain without energy. Among energy aspects, a prioritization algorithm that uses the positions of sensors and the trajectory of a collecting unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) is implemented in this proposition. All these together form a protocol that is intended to be used in critical systems where every bit of information is vital.