Multimedia communication in wireless sensor networks

Abstract

The technological advances in Micro ElectroMechanical Systems (Mems) and wireless communications have enabled the realization of wireless sensor networks (Wsn) comprised of large number of low-cost, low-power, multifunctional sensor nodes. These tiny sensor nodes communicate in short distances and collaboratively work toward fulfilling the application specific objectives ofWsn. However, realization of wide range of envisionedWsn applications necessitates effective communication protocols which can address the unique challenges posed by theWsn paradigm. Since many of these envisioned applications may also involve in collecting information in the form of multimedia such as audio, image, and video; additional challenges due to the unique requirements of multimedia delivery overWsn, e.g., diverse reliability requirements, time constraints, high bandwidth demands, must be addressed as well. Thus far, vast majority of the research efforts has been focused on addressing the problems of conventional data communication inWsn. Therefore, there exists an urgent need for research on the problems of multimedia communication inWsn. In this paper, a survey of the research challenges and the current status of the literature on the multimedia communication inWsn is presented. More specifically, the multimediaWsn applications, factors influencing multimedia delivery overWsn, currently proposed solutions in application, transport, and network layers, are pointed out along with their shortcomings and open research issues.