MEVI is a multi-hop hierarchical routing protocol proposed for wireless multimedia sensor networks (WMSNs). It uses a cluster-based approach and opportunistic clustering to form clusters with minimal overhead. MEVI employs both intra-cluster and inter-cluster communication. During intra-cluster communication, non-cluster head nodes send sensed data to their cluster heads. For inter-cluster communication, cluster heads send aggregated data to the base station using multi-hop routing. MEVI selects routes based on a cross-layer approach considering link quality and energy parameters to improve energy efficiency and video quality delivery in WMSNs. Simulation results show that MEVI achieves longer network lifetime and better video quality compared to other routing protocols

1. A smart Multi-hop hierarchical routing protocol
for Efficient VIdeo communication over wireless
multimedia sensor networks - MEVI
D. Rosário, R. Costa, H. Paraense, K. Machado,
E. Cerqueira and T. Braun

2. Overview
 Introduction
 Related Work
 MEVI - Concept and Protocol Operation
 Evaluation
 Conclusions

3. Introduction to WMSNs I
 Multimedia content has growing
importance.
 Availability of inexpensive hardware such
as sensors, CMOS cameras, and
microphones allow capturing multimedia
sensor data from the environment.
 Wireless Multimedia Sensor Networks
(WMSNs) for carrying multimedia data
needed

4. Introduction to WMSNs II
 Multimedia content can enhance sensor data
information collected.
 WMSNs will enable a wide range of potential
applications in both civilian and military areas,
which require audio and video information, e.g.,
◦ Traffic management
◦ Environmental monitoring
◦ Video surveillance
◦ Industrial process control
◦ Smart cities

5. WMSN Challenges I
 Multimedia content generates huge
amount of data to be transmitted over
WMSNs.
 WMSNs are restricted in terms of
◦ Energy
◦ Bandwidth
◦ Memory
◦ Processing capabilities
 An event-driven approach should be used
to avoid redundant video transmission.

6. WMSN Challenges II
 Efficient and reliable communication
between the nodes should be used
considering
◦ Multi-hop communications
◦ Cross-layer mechanism to select routes
 Delivery of multimedia content with a
minimal level of quality according to QoS
and QoE metrics.

7. WMSN Challenges III
 Existing hierarchical routing protocols
have certain drawbacks
◦ High overhead for cluster creation
◦ Lack of efficient multi-hop communication
◦ Lack of an efficient cross-layer approach to
select routes based on information about link
quality level, available energy, energy
consumption

8. Multi-hop hierarchical routing protocol for
Efficient VIdeo communication (MEVI) I
 MEVI considers
◦ use of heterogeneous nodes
◦ hierarchical architecture
◦ event-based application
 MEVI addresses mentioned drawbacks
and provides
◦ Scalability
◦ Reliability
◦ High quality videos
◦ Energy-efficiency

9. Multi-hop hierarchical routing protocol for
Efficient VIdeo communication (MEVI) II
 MEVI concepts
◦ Opportunistic scheme for cluster formation
with a minimal overhead
◦ Multi-hop communication between cluster
heads (CHs) and base station (BS)
◦ Cross-layer scheme to select routes based on
link quality and energy parameters

10. Related Work

11. Related Work
LEACH EEQAR PEMuR
Multimedia data Periodically Periodically Periodically
transmission
Cluster Distributed Distributed Centralized
formation
Messages for Beacon Not Specified Schedule from BS
cluster formation Join and from CH
Schedule Advertisement
Elected CH
Join
Multi-hop Single-hop Multi-hop Multi-hop
Cross-layer to n/a QoS Residual Energy
select routes
11

12. MEVI –
Concept and Protocol Operation

13. Target Scenario

14. Protocol Operation I
 Multimedia transmissions are triggered by
sensors.
 Two operational modes
◦ Normal mode
 Multimedia transmission is requested by BS when a possibility
of an event occurrence is detected (soft threshold).
◦ Event mode
 Nodes start multimedia transmissions when event has been
detected (hard threshold).
 Two communication periods
◦ Intra-cluster
◦ Inter-cluster

15. Protocol Operation II

16. Intra-Cluster Communication I
 Period designated to nodes (non-CHs)
◦ Cluster creation
◦ Cluster members send sensed values to CHs.
 Clusters are created with minimal
overhead using an opportunistic scheme
based on transmissions of
◦ Beacons and
◦ Data

17. Intra-Cluster Communication II

18. Inter-Cluster Communication I
 Period when CHs and BS communicate
with each other using multi-hop
communication.
◦ CHs send aggregate packets to BS.
◦ BS requests multimedia content for a CH.
◦ CH sends multimedia data.

19. Inter-Cluster Communication II
 MEVI exploits a reactive scheme to find
routes from CHs to BS on-demand.
 Reactive route discovery applies usual
scheme using route request and reply
messages.
 Each path has associated a Path Quality
(PQ), which is used to identify best
routes.

20. Performance Evaluation

21. Simulation Parameters
second
seconds

22. Network Lifetime – Scenario 1

23. Network Lifetime – Scenario 2

24. Video Quality Level

25. Video Quality Level: SSIM
 Video quality for a node, which is 36 m
away from BS

26. Video Quality Level:VQM

27. Video Quality

28. A smart Multi-hop hierarchical routing protocol
for Efficient VIdeo communication over wireless
multimedia sensor networks - MEVI
D. Rosário, R. Costa, H. Paraense, K. Machado,
E. Cerqueira and T. Braun (braun@iam.unibe.ch)