Wireless Sensor Network Virtualization: A Survey (1503.01676v2)

Abstract: Wireless Sensor Networks (WSNs) are the key components of the emerging Internet-of-Things (IoT) paradigm. They are now ubiquitous and used in a plurality of application domains. WSNs are still domain specific and usually deployed to support a specific application. However, as WSN nodes are becoming more and more powerful, it is getting more and more pertinent to research how multiple applications could share a very same WSN infrastructure. Virtualization is a technology that can potentially enable this sharing. This paper is a survey on WSN virtualization. It provides a comprehensive review of the state-of-the-art and an in-depth discussion of the research issues. We introduce the basics of WSN virtualization and motivate its pertinence with carefully selected scenarios. Existing works are presented in detail and critically evaluated using a set of requirements derived from the scenarios. The pertinent research projects are also reviewed. Several research issues are also discussed with hints on how they could be tackled.

• The paper introduces virtualization to enable multiple applications on a single WSN, abstracting physical nodes into logical units.
• It systematically compares node-level and network-level virtualization methods, detailing sequential, simultaneous, overlay, and cluster-based approaches.
• The survey identifies research challenges, emphasizing energy efficiency, scalability, and robust resource allocation for future IoT deployments.

Survey on Wireless Sensor Network Virtualization

The paper "Wireless Sensor Network Virtualization: A Survey" provides a comprehensive review of the state-of-the-art in Wireless Sensor Network (WSN) virtualization, a pivotal component of the Internet-of-Things (IoT) ecosystem. This survey elucidates the necessity for WSN virtualization to overcome the limitations inherent in current domain-specific and task-oriented WSN deployments. By enabling the concurrent support of multiple applications on the same WSN infrastructure, virtualization promises more efficient resource utilization and scalability.

Key Contributions and Findings

1. Introduction to WSN Virtualization:
   • The paper introduces virtualization as a vital technology for abstracting physical network resources into logical units. This abstraction facilitates the efficient reuse of WSN infrastructures for multiple concurrent applications.
   • Virtualization helps to decouple WSN services from their physical deployments, thereby enabling new, unanticipated applications and business models, such as Sensing-as-a-Service (SaaS).
2. Categories of WSN Virtualization:
   • Node-Level Virtualization: The paper describes how multiple applications can run tasks concurrently on a single sensor node. Node-level virtualization can be achieved via sequential or simultaneous execution models. This is crucial for transforming a sensor node into a multi-purpose device.
   • Network-Level Virtualization: This involves creating Virtual Sensor Networks (VSNs) by dynamically forming groups of nodes. Such virtualization allows separate application tasks to execute transparently and is instrumental in efficiently utilizing network resources.
3. Critical Analysis of Existing Solutions:
   • The survey critically evaluates various approaches to node-level and network-level virtualization, highlighting limitations in previous surveys and the absence of motivating real-world scenarios.
   • The paper discusses node-level virtualization in the context of Sensor Operating System-based and Virtual Machine-/Middleware-based solutions, while network-level virtualization is reviewed in terms of overlay-based and cluster-based methodologies.
4. Motivating Scenarios and Requirements:
   • Two illustrative scenarios—fire monitoring and heritage building monitoring—demonstrate the practical advantages of WSN virtualization. From these scenarios, the survey derives a set of requirements for efficient virtualization, such as support for application/service priority, platform-independence, resource discovery mechanisms, and the capability to handle resource-constrained sensor nodes.
5. Research Challenges and Future Directions:
   • The paper identifies key research challenges, including advanced mechanisms for node- and network-level virtualization, efficient resource discovery and service composition, and methodologies for WSN virtualization in mobile and participatory sensing environments.
   • It suggests the exploration of new protocols, algorithms, and simulation tools tailored for virtualized WSNs, highlighting the need for energy-efficient, robust, and scalable solutions to manage the complexity and dynamics of future IoT applications.

Implications and Future Prospects

The implications of this research are profound, as WSN virtualization could significantly enhance the scalability and adaptability of sensor networks within the IoT landscape. By allowing multiple applications to simultaneously leverage a single WSN deployment, virtualization solutions could lead to more cost-effective and sustainable IoT infrastructure management.

The paper implies that future developments should focus on refining virtualization standards, enhancing resource allocation strategies, and fostering interoperability among diverse IoT components. The advancement of WSN virtualization technology could pave the way for innovative services across various domains, including smart cities, industrial automation, and smart healthcare, underscoring the transformative potential of virtualization in the digital age.