Date of Award

6-2009

Degree Name

MS in Computer Science

Department/Program

Computer Science

Advisor

Hugh M. Smith

Abstract

The General Direction Routing Protocol (GDRP) is a Wireless Sensor Network (WSN)

multi-path routing protocol which abstracts localization information (commonly GPS

coordinates) into relative direction information in order to perform routing decisions. By

generating relative direction information GDRP is able to operate with fewer precision

requirements than other protocols. This abstraction also allows the integration of other emerging

hardware-based localization techniques, for example, Beamforming Sensor Arrays.

GDRP does not specifically address the next hop a packet should take, but instead specifies a

direction it should travel. This direction abstraction allows for multiple paths to be taken through

the network thus enhancing network robustness to node mobility and failures. This indirect

addressing scheme also provides a solution to sensor node unique identification.

GDRP is simulated in a custom simulator written in Java. This simulator supports interfaces

for multiple protocols for layers 1, 2, 3, and 7 of the OSI model. For performance comparisons,

GDRP is compared against multiple WSN routing protocols. GDRP operates with a significantly

lower setup cost in terms of bytes transmitted and a lower setup latency for networks of varying

sizes. It also demonstrates an exponentially lower routing cost when compared to another multi-

path routing protocol due to a more efficient packet propagation in the network.

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