Minimum Data-Latency-Bound k-Sink Placement Problem in Wireless Sensor Networks

Abstract

In this paper, we propose a new multiple-sink positioning problem in wireless sensor networks to best support realtime applications. We formally define this problem as the k-Sink Placement Problem (k-SPP) and prove that it is APX-complete. We show that an existing approximation algorithm for the well-known k-center problem is a constant factor approximation of k-SPP. Furthermore, we introduce a new greedy algorithm for k-SPP and prove its approximation ratio is very near to the best achievable, 2. Via simulations, we show our algorithm outperforms its competitor on average.