Improving Forest Management Efficiency: A New Metric for IoT Node Deployment

The internet of things (IoT) is revolutionizing various industries by enabling the creation of smart systems for forest management, promoting the emergence of the forestry Internet of Things (IoFT). However, existing IoT node deployment methods often overlook geographic constraints, while solar-powered IoFT nodes face limitations in forests due to tree obstruction and maintenance challenges. Furthermore, to achieve cost-effective monitoring, it is essential to consider both coverage and network costs. In this paper, we propose a new metric, the coverage benefit ratio (CBR), which balances coverage and cost, ensuring long-term stable operation of forest monitoring systems while reducing maintenance costs and environmental impact. We first formulate the optimal deployment model to find the minimum-cost IoFT. Then, we propose develop a low complexity algorithm to solve the defined NP-hard optimization problem. Simulation results demonstrate that the effectiveness and progressiveness of the proposed method.