An optimization framework for joint sensor deployment, link scheduling and routing in underwater sensor networks

Underwater sensor networks are a very interesting case of wireless communication in extreme conditions. They exploit acoustic communication in the water and are nowadays used in surveillance and monitoring applications. These networks present very challenging aspects, such as low data rates and large delays, as well as the special propagation characteristics of the underwater medium. We propose an integer-linear programming approach to jointly optimize routing, link-scheduling and node placement in such a scenario. Accounting for these special aspects of underwater wireless communications leads to re-thinking traditional approaches; this results in original solutions, which highlight novel directions for further research in this area.