Abstract
We study broadcasting time in radio networks, modeled as unit disk graphs (UDG). Network stations are represented by points in the plane and a station is connected to all stations at distance at most 1 from it. Stations are unaware of the network topology. Each station can send messages from the beginning of the broadcasting process, even before getting the source message. Emek et al. showed that broadcasting time depends on two parameters of the UDG network, namely, its diameter D (in hops) and its granularity g. The latter is the inverse of the density d of the network which is the minimum Euclidean distance between any two stations. They proved that the minimum broadcasting time is Θ(min {D + g 2, D log g}), assuming that each node knows the density of the network and knows exactly its own position in the plane. In many situations these assumptions are unrealistic. Does removing them influence broadcasting time? The aim of this paper is to answer this question, hence we assume that density is unknown and nodes perceive their position with some unknown error margin \({\varepsilon}\). It turns out that this combination of missing and inaccurate information substantially changes the problem: the main new challenge becomes fast broadcasting in sparse networks (with constant density), when optimal time is O(D). Nevertheless, under our very weak scenario, we construct a broadcasting algorithm that maintains optimal time O (min {D + g 2, D log g}) for all networks with at least 2 nodes, of diameter D and granularity g (previously obtained with exact positions and known density), if each node perceives its position with error margin \({\varepsilon=\alpha d}\), for any (unknown) constant α < 1/2. Rather surprisingly, the minimum time of an algorithm working correctly for all networks, and hence stopping if the source is alone, turns out to be Θ(D + g 2). Thus, the mere stopping requirement for the special case of the lonely source causes an exponential increase in broadcasting time, for networks of any density and any small diameter. Finally, if \({\varepsilon\geq d/2}\), then broadcasting is impossible.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Alon N., Bar-Noy A., Linial N., Peleg D.: A lower bound for radio broadcast. J. Comput. Syst. Sci. 43, 290–298 (1991)
Bar-Yehuda R., Goldreich O., Itai A.: On the time complexity of broadcast in radio networks: an exponential gap between determinism and randomization. J. Comput. Syst. Sci. 45, 104–126 (1992)
Bruschi D., Del Pinto M.: Lower bounds for the broadcast problem in mobile radio networks. Distrib. Comput. 10(3), 129–135 (1997)
Chlamtac I., Kutten S.: On broadcasting in radio networks—problem analysis and protocol design. IEEE Trans. Commun. 33(12), 1240–1246 (1985)
Chlamtac I., Weinstein O.: The wave expansion approach to broadcasting in multihop radio networks. IEEE Trans. Commun. 39(3), 426–433 (1991)
Chlebus B., Ga̦sieniec L., Gibbons A., Pelc A., Rytter W.: Deterministic broadcasting in unknown radio networks. Distrib. Comput. 15, 27–38 (2002)
Chlebus, B., Ga̦sieniec, L., Östlin, A., Robson, J.M.: Deterministic radio broadcasting. In: Proceedings of 27th International Colloquium on Automata, Languages and Programming (ICALP 2000), LNCS 1853, pp. 717–728
Chrobak M., Ga̦sieniec L., Rytter W.: Fast broadcasting and gossiping in radio networks. J. Algorithms 43, 177–189 (2002)
Clementi, A.E.F., Monti, A., Silvestri, R.: Selective families, superimposed codes, and broadcasting on unknown radio networks. In: Proceedings of 12th Annual ACM-SIAM Symposium on Discrete Algorithms (SODA 2001), pp. 709–718
Czumaj A., Rytter W.: Broadcasting algorithms in radio networks with unknown topology. J. Algorithms 60, 115–143 (2006)
De Marco, G.: Distributed broadcast in unknown radio networks. In: Proceedings 19th ACM-SIAM Symposium on Discrete Algorithms (SODA 2008), pp. 208–217
Dessmark A., Pelc A.: Broadcasting in geometric radio networks. J. Discrete Algorithms 5, 187–201 (2007)
Diks K., Kranakis E., Krizanc D., Pelc A.: The impact of knowledge on broadcasting time in linear radio networks. Theor. Comput. Sci. 287, 449–471 (2002)
Elkin, M., Kortsarz, G.: Improved broadcast schedule for radio networks. In: Proceedings of 16th ACM-SIAM Symposium on Discrete Algorithms (SODA 2005), pp. 222–231
Emek Y., Ga̦sieniec L., Kantor E., Pelc A., Peleg D., Su C.: Broadcasting time in UDG radio networks with unknown topology. Distrib. Comput. 21(5), 331–351 (2009)
Gaber I., Mansour Y.: Centralized broadcast in multihop radio networks. J. Algorithms 46, 1–20 (2003)
Ga̦sieniec L., Peleg D., Xin Q.: Faster communication in known topology radio networks. Distrib. Comput. 19(4), 289–300 (2007)
Kesselman, A., Kowalski, D.: Fast distributed algorithm for convergecast in ad hoc geometric radio networks. In: Proceedings of 2nd International Conference on Wireless on Demand Network Systems and Service (WONS 2005), pp. 119–124
Kowalski D., Pelc A.: Time of deterministic broadcasting in radio networks with local knowledge. SIAM J. Comput. 33, 870–891 (2004)
Kowalski D., Pelc A.: Time complexity of radio broadcasting: adaptiveness vs. obliviousness and randomization vs. determinism. Theor. Comput. Sci. 333, 355–371 (2005)
Kowalski D., Pelc A.: Broadcasting in undirected ad hoc radio networks. Distrib. Comput. 18, 43–57 (2005)
Kowalski D., Pelc A.: Optimal deterministic broadcasting in known topology radio networks. Distrib. Comput. 19, 185–195 (2007)
Kranakis E., Krizanc D., Pelc A.: Fault-tolerant broadcasting in radio networks. J. Algorithms 39, 47–67 (2001)
Kushilevitz E., Mansour Y.: An Ω(D log(N/D)) lower bound for broadcast in radio networks. SIAM J. Comput. 27, 702–712 (1998)
Moscibroda, T., Wattenhofer, R.: Maximal independent sets in radio networks. In: Proceedings of 24th ACM Symposium on Principles of Distributed Computing (PODC 2005), pp. 148–157
Moscibroda T., Wattenhofer R.: Coloring unstructured radio networks. Distrib. Comput. 21(4), 271–284 (2008)
Ravishankar K., Singh S.: Broadcasting on [0,L]. Discrete Appl. Math. 53, 299–319 (1994)
Sen, A., Huson, M.L.: A new model for scheduling packet radio networks. In: Proceedings of 15th Joint Conference of the IEEE Computer and Communication Societies (IEEE INFOCOM 1996), pp. 1116–1124
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Additional information
A preliminary version of this paper appeared in the Proceedings of the 22nd International Symposium on Distributed Computing (DISC 2008), LNCS 5218. This work was done during the visit of Emanuele G. Fusco at the Research Chair in Distributed Computing of the Université du Québec en Outaouais. Andrzej Pelc was partially supported by NSERC discovery grant and by the Research Chair in Distributed Computing at the Université du Québec en Outaouais.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Fusco, E.G., Pelc, A. Broadcasting in UDG radio networks with missing and inaccurate information. Distrib. Comput. 22, 167–183 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00446-010-0093-5
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00446-010-0093-5