MDE-Based Languages for Wireless Sensor Networks Modeling: A Systematic Mapping Study

Wireless Sensor Networks (WSNs) are ubiquitous systems of small devices equipped with sensors that collaborate to sense physical quantities in an area. However, the design constraints, the behavior requirements and the error prone nature, make the development of WSNs and their deployment an extremely challenging task. The Model Driven Engineering (MDE) approach helps tackling these issues by using models and automatic transformation to generate code or analyze WSNs against their requirements. In this paper, we propose a systematic mapping study which presents the existing WSNs MDE-based modeling languages. We surveyed a total of 1852 papers from which we selected 21 languages satisfying 7 selection criteria. We analyze these languages according to 5 rigorous research questions and 12 comparative criteria. Then we provide a precise view on the existing languages and their weaknesses mainly regarding mobility and data fusion. Finally, we propose research directions and recommendations for aspiring languages developers.