Wireless Sensor Network for Spatial Observations of Environmental Properties

• Status: Funding through the Discovery Park Center for the Environment has expired
• PI: Jeff Evans (ECET), Keith Cherkauer, Marshall Porterfield (ABE)
• Graduate Students: None

Goals

To develop a wireless sensor network that addresses the needs of in situ soil observation while providing flexibility to accommodate current and future sensors used for these purposes. Sensor node subsystems will be interchangeable to accommodate different; sensor combinations, data acquisition, processing and storage requirements, and wireless communication, power supply and management schemes. Development of a common mechanical packaging scheme is also a goal of this research. This platform will therefore serve as an enabler for a larger interdisciplinary program being developed to address the following science, engineering, and technology questions:

Questions

• Can spatially distributed wireless sensor networks contribute to our understanding of near surface hydrologic processes such as the distribution of soil moisture and temperature?Can real-time monitoring enhance our ability to collect environmental observations through the identification of faulty equipment, and areas and time periods of significant interest where additional observations would be required? Can root oxygen bioavailability (ROB) sensors increase our understanding of soil hydrologic processes, specifically related to the evapotranspiration of vegetation? Can nodes consisting of multiple sensors be automatically re-calibrated reliably in the field? What sampling, communication and power management schemes are required to facilitate new sensor technologies while maintaining the operational objectives of the network? To what extent is wireless network security an issue or requirement in these environments?
• To what extent is the sensing application sensitive to network performance degradation?

Current Activities

Developing a small testbed sensor system for use in developing wireless network hardware, integrating sensors and development of control software. We are expecting to have a prototype system, without the ROB sensors, ready for field deployment by spring 2006.