Optimizing coverage of three-dimensional wireless sensor networks by means of photon mapping

As wireless sensor networks applied to 3D spaces gain in prominence, it becomes necessary to develop means of understanding how to optimize 3D sensor coverage while taking into account the environmental conditions in which they operate. To accomplish this goal, this paper presents the Sensor Placement Optimization via Queries (SPOQ) simulation algorithm. It determines where to place the minimal number of simulated bistatic sensors such that they cover as much of the single-source-illuminated virtual environment as possible. SPOQ performs virtual sensor placement optimization by means of making queries to the photon map generated by the photon mapping algorithm and uses this query output as input to a prevailing modified sensor placement algorithm. Since SPOQ uses photon mapping, SPOQ can take into account static or dynamic simulated environmental conditions and can use exploratory or precomputed sensing. The SPOQ method is computationally efficient, requiring less memory than other sensor placement solutions.