Minimum Latency Aggregation Scheduling in Internet of Things

The Minimum Latency Aggregation Scheduling (MLAS) problem in Wireless Sensor Networks (WSNs) targets to attain aggregation schedules that satisfy the two desirable properties: minimum latency and no collisions. Researchers adapt the conventional homogeneous and heterogeneous WSNs to address the MLAS problem in Internet of Things (IoTs) as WSN technology is an essential component of an IoT. However, usual WSNs assume devices to use one single protocol, while some IoTs require heterogeneous devices to use different protocols. Therefore, calling a WSN an IoT is a misnomer and accordingly existing approaches may not properly realize broader IoT environments. In this paper, we clarify the distinction between WSNs and IoTs in terms of types of devices and protocols. Then, we provide a constant-factor approximation algorithm that can fully address the MLAS problem in IoTs. To the best of our knowledge, it is the first constant factor algorithm that addresses the NP-hard problem.