UAV-Aided Data Acquisition Using Gaining-Sharing Knowledge Optimization Algorithm

Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) provide a reliable and energy-efficient solution for data collection from the Narrowband Internet of Things (NB-IoT) devices. However, the UAV’s deployment optimization, including locations of the UAV’s stop points, is a necessity to minimize the energy consumption of the UAV and the NB-IoT devices and also to conduct the data collection efficiently. In this regard, this paper proposes Gaining-Sharing Knowledge (GSK) algorithm for optimizing the UAV’s deployment. In GSK, the number of UAV’s stop points in the three-dimensional space is encapsulated into a single individual with a fixed length representing an entire deployment. The superiority of using GSK in the tackled problem is verified by simulation in seven scenarios. It provides significant results in all seven scenarios compared with other four optimization algorithms used before with the same problem. Besides, the NB-IoT is proposed as the wireless communication technology between the UAV and IoT devices.