Multiobjective Deployment Optimization and Final Solution Decision for Heterogeneous WSN Nodes in Elongated Structure Spaces

The node deployment optimization of heterogeneous wireless sensor networks (HWSN) in elongated structural spaces faces complex multi-objective trade-offs. To address the issues of low coverage, poor network connectivity, and energy imbalance in existing deployment strategies for elongated spaces, this study proposes a collaborative optimization deployment and autonomous multi-criteria decision-making (MCDM) method based on a new multi-objective whale optimization algorithm (IMOWOA). First, a three-dimensional elongated space model (ESM) and a heterogeneous node probability perception model are constructed to characterize the coverage properties of nodes within the elongated space. Secondly, an Elite-oriented multi-mode adaptive perturbation (EMAP) and Random single-dimensional update (RSDU) strategy are proposed, enabling the Whale Optimization Algorithm (WOA) to focus on elite regions and strengthen local exploration. Then, a method for calculating crowding distance is proposed, which integrates multi-scale neighborhoods and nonlinear weights, producing a high-quality, evenly distributed set of non-dominated solutions. After obtaining the non-dominated solution set, the Entropy-based TOPSIS method is employed to select the final deployment scheme. Finally, the performance of IMOWOA is tested using the CEC2020 multimodal multi-objective test functions. In the simulation model of the ESM, the proposed IMOWOA effectively balances multiple complex deployment objectives. The deployment optimization coverage of HWSN is improved by 18.48%, 2.05%, 17.54%, 20.03%, and 1.88% compared to MOWOA, NSGA II, MOPSO, CMOMPA, and MOTS, respectively. This demonstrates that the method can effectively handle the complex constraints of elongated spaces and provides a practical HWSN node deployment scheme for facility and structural monitoring in elongated environments. The source code is available on https://github.com/Drleach/IMOWOA.