This invention describes methods and systems for tasking nodes in a distributed ad hoc network. A node is selected to participate in a data gathering or a routing task based on its potential contribution to information gain and the cost associated with performing the task such as communication bandwidth usage. This invention describes methods and systems for implementing various selection strategies at each node, using local knowledge about the network. For resource-limited sensor networks, the information-driven data gathering and routing strategies significantly improve the scalability and quality of sensing systems, while minimizing resource cost.