A Decentralized Dynamic Sensor Activation Protocol for Chemical Sensor Networks

Due to the significant amount of energy consumed by chemical sensors for sensing, reducing sensing activity is critical for improving the lifespan of chemical sensor networks. In this paper, we consider a simple decentralized dynamic sensor activation protocol that aims to maintain a majority of sensors in the inactive (passive) state in the absence of a chemical attack, and rapidly activate the sensors when an attack is detected. This paper proposes two analytical models to study the behavior of the sensor network under the proposed protocol. Our first analytical model employs the known analogy between the information spread in a sensor network and the propagation of epidemics across a population. The second model describes the protocol by using a framework of graph theory.