Self-organising cooperative clustering protocol for tracking and monitoring

In this paper, we propose a self-organising and cooperative approach that utilises the coexistence of different communication technologies (Bluetooth, WiFi and 3/4G) in smartphones. Neighbouring smartphones are cooperatively group themselves to form multiple clusters. The cluster head (CH) of each cluster uses its positioning and internet services to send tracking data to the server for all its cluster members, while other members use only Bluetooth to communicate locally and report to the CH. The proposed algorithm assures distributed and fairness among all nodes. Based on the power consumption analysis, the clustering problem is modelled as a mixed integer programming model (MIP) then solved by the algebraic modelling system GAMS. Extensive simulations have been conducted to evaluate the proposed clustering algorithm. The results show that the proposed solution achieves substantial improvement in terms of energy saving compared to contemporary algorithms, while it guarantees fairness.