A QoS-aware routing approach for Internet of Things-enabled wireless sensor networks in smart cities

In the Internet of Things (IoT), optimizing machine performance through data analysis and improved connectivity is pivotal. Addressing the growing need for environmentally friendly IoT solutions, we focus on "green IoT." Quality in smart cities heavily relies on efficient data gathering and communication. In this study, we propose a novel software architecture tailored for data collection and communication in IoT-enabled smart applications, emphasizing sustainability from the outset. Specifically, for smart cities utilizing IoT-enabled wireless sensor networks, we introduce a Quality of Service (QoS)-aware routing strategy. In the data collection phase, we employ Chaotic Bird Swarm Optimization (CBSO) for creating IoT sensor clusters, accompanied by Improved Differential Search (IDS) to assess the reliability of individual sensor nodes, ultimately designating the most trusted node as the Cluster Head (CH). In the data transport phase, we implement lightweight signcryption to enhance the security of IoT sensor data. Furthermore, we employ an Optimal Data Routing (ODM) approach to compute the most efficient data transmission paths between source and destination nodes within the IoT network. Finally, the performance of our QoS-aware routing strategy is evaluated through network simulations using NS2 and compared against existing approaches, offering valuable insights into its effectiveness and suitability for smart city IoT applications. The main findings of the study indicate that the proposed QoS-aware routing strategy (QOS-AWARE ROUTING) consistently outperforms existing routing algorithms in terms of energy efficiency, network longevity, and latency, both in scenarios with varying sensor node density and over multiple cycles. Additionally, it demonstrates significant advantages, such as up to 90.8% less energy consumption, 66.8% longer network lifespan, and 80.1% reduced latency when compared to the benchmarked methods.