A simple model for reliable query reporting in sensor networks

We consider the problem of inducing the formation of reliable energy-constrained communication paths in distributed sensor networks. We label this problem of reliable information routing from reporting sensors to query nodes as reliable query reporting (RQR) and analyze it using game-theoretic techniques to model the behavior of individual sensor nodes. Sensors behave strategically wherein they take into account individual costs and benefits as well as the actions of other sensors in the network. The RQR problem is shown to be NP-hard. The optimal RQR path as defined forms an upper bound on reliable paths obtained using existing ad-hoc routing rules which are easy to implement but do not provide analytical performance bounds. We then present analytical results to identify conditions under which the optimally reliable path is congruent to well known paths such as the most reliable or cheapest path.