Space information networks

which have become a popular research focus

are a new type of self-organizing network constituted by information systems of land

sea

air and space.A clustering algorithm for space in-formation networks was proposed to enhance network scalability.Analytic hierarchy process (AHP) was used to select cluster heads

and then nonoverlapping k-hop clusters could be formed.With taking node mobility and cluster equali-zation of space information networks into account

mobile agents were used to migrate and duplicate functions of cluster heads in a recruiting way.Dynamical maintaining mechanisms like cluster merger/partition

reaffiliation and adaptive adjustment of information update period were also designed.Simulation results show the proposed clustering algorithm is suitable for use in space information networks and it can improve network scalability.