ITR: Collaborative Research: Spatiotemporal Protocols and Analyses for Wireless Sensor Networks

Washington University, Saint Louis MO

Investigators

Abstract

Proposal: CCR-0325529 (Lead) PI: Lu, Chenyang Institution: Washington University - St. Louis Proposal: CCR-0325197 PI: Stankovic, John Institution: University of Virginia Title: ITR: Collaborative Research: Spatiotemporal Protocols and Analyses for Wireless Sensor Networks Large-scale wireless sensor networks can change the way humans interact with physical environments through a broad range of applications including highway traffic coordination and security surveillance. Future sensor-based applications will have to meet new kinds of spatiotemporal specifications under severe resource limitations. Our fundamental hypothesis is that communication protocols and their analysis must incorporate the notions of space, time, and mobility in a unified framework, something not addressed directly by earlier research. This project, a collaboration between Washington University and the University of Virginia. An overarching goal of the project is to establish a spatiotemporal communication framework for wireless sensor networks the integration of real-time systems and mobile computing research. The project develops a new communication protocol stack optimized for sensor networks by incorporating timing and space properties in scheduling and routing algorithms, thereby enabling analytic guarantees for the spatiotemporal specifications of sensor network services in mobile environments. Our protocol stack finds instantiation in a sensor network middleware that is readily reusable by a broad range of applications. Developing a rigorous spatiotemporal analysis that draws upon theories on real-time schedulable utilization bound, network geometry, and decentralized feedback control forms a key element of this project. The end results will be a methodology for designing dependable sensor networks able to support mission critical applications in which performance predictability is a paramount concern. The team is also committed to integrating cutting-edge research with teaching and outreach programs, leveraging off strong existing programs at Washington University and the University of Virginia. A special relation with the St. Louis Science Center will further expand our outreach efforts to students and the public at larger through exhibits placed in the information technology exhibit area. .