Methods, Performance Bounds, and Routing Approaches for In Network Aggregation in Wireless Sensor Networks

In-Network Aggregation (INA) is a process of data collection and analysis within a network architecture that is multi-hop network. The idea behind this process is to decrease the number of resources required to disseminate information and advance the optimality of the model by accumulating information at transitional nodes before forwarding it to the recipient. The process consists of two main methods: (a) the process of reducing the size of information to be sent in a way that minimizes the amount of overhead, and (b) the aggregation and conveyance of packet sizes. INA integrates routing procedures, accretion functions, and data representations as the constituent parts. This research aims to identify INA techniques in multihop networks with the aim of advancing the application of system resources as well as expanding the network size. The study encompasses issues relating to aggregation with or without size reduction, routing protocols, different types of aggregation functions, and different data representation formats. Lastly, this paper provides a detailed discussion that makes it possible to appreciate the strengths and weaknesses of cluster-based, tree-based, multi-path, and combined approaches. It examines the challenges of the reliability-overhead trade-off, thereby providing input on how to enhance the passing of data and use of resources in the WSNs.