Distributed graph coloring in wireless ad hoc networks: A light-weight algorithm based on Japanese tree frogs' calling behaviour

Graph coloring concerns the problem of assigning colors to the nodes of a graph such that adjacent nodes do not share the same color. In this paper we deal with the problem of finding valid colorings of graphs in a distributed manner, while minimizing the number of used colors. This problem is at the heart of several problems arising in wireless ad hoc networks. Examples are TDMA slot assignment, wakeup scheduling, and data collection. The proposed algorithm is inspired by the de-synchronization that can be observed in the calling behaviour of male Japanese tree frogs. Experimental results show that our algorithm is very competitive with current state-of-the-art approaches.