TreeExplorer: a coding algorithm for rooted trees with application to wireless and ad hoc routing

TL;DR

TreeExplorer is a new coding algorithm for rooted trees that improves routing efficiency in wireless and ad hoc networks by reducing communication overhead through nearly optimal tree encoding.

Contribution

Introduces TreeExplorer, a simple and nearly optimal rooted tree coding algorithm that leverages leaf count to enhance routing protocols in wireless systems.

Findings

Reduces communication overhead in routing protocols.

Achieves near-optimal average code length compared to entropy.

Improves efficiency of ad hoc and wireless routing systems.

Abstract

Routing tables in ad hoc and wireless routing protocols can be represented using rooted trees. The constant need for communication and storage of these trees in routing protocols demands an efficient rooted tree coding algorithm. This efficiency is defined in terms of the average code length, and the optimality of the algorithm is measured by comparing the average code length with the entropy of the source. In this work, TreeExplorer is introduced as an easy-to-implement and nearly optimal algorithm for coding rooted tree structures. This method utilizes the number of leaves of the tree as an indicator for choosing the best method of coding. We show how TreeExplorer can improve existing routing protocols for ad hoc and wireless systems, which normally entails a significant communication overhead.