Graph theoretic clustering algorithms in mobile ad hoc networks and wireless sensor networks (survey)

Clustering in mobile ad hoc networks (MANETs) and wireless sensor networks (WSNs) is an important method to ease topology management and routing in such networks. Once the clusters are formed, the leaders (coordinators) of the clusters may be used to form a backbone for efficient routing and communication purposes. A set of clusters may also provide the underlying physical structure for multicast communication for a higher level group communication module which may effectively be used for fault tolerance and key management for security purposes. We survey graph theoretic approaches for clustering in MANETs and WSNS and show that although there is a wide range of such algorithms, each may be suitable for a different cross-layer design objective.