Research summary: The Cross-Level Approach for Simulating Sensor Networks

Simulation is a useful tool during development of wireless sensor networks due to their distributed nature and resourcelimited hardware. However, traditional simulators trade accuracy and detail against performance and scalability. The purpose of my PhD thesis is to investigate crosslevel simulation as a tool for development and experimentation in wireless sensor networks. The cross-level simulation approach enables wireless sensor network simulations with different nodes simulated at different abstraction levels. For example, the same simulation may include both time-consuming high-detail emulated nodes as well as effective and scalable low-detail application nodes. Allowing for multiple abstraction levels can, compared to using a single abstraction level, increase the scalability and performance of a simulation. This research summary presents my cross-level simulation approach and discusses ongoing work in terms of opportunities and current challenges related to the approach.