RCN: Advancing Lake Ecology by Building an International Community to Exploit Innovations in Sensor Network Technology

University Of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison WI

Investigators

Abstract

The University of Wisconsin-Madison is awarded a grant to develop a research coordination network for lake ecology. The project leverages advances in sensor network technology and Internet connectivity by forming a global community of limnologists and informatics experts to explore the role of lakes in global environmental processes. The project has three aims. First, it will advance the modeling of key lake processes by exploiting data from a global network of instrumented lakes. Second, it will integrate aquatic science with advances in sensor technology and information management. Finally, it will engage a global community of diverse scientists by recruiting researchers from international sites, scientists early in their careers, and under-represented groups. The project builds upon a small, but growing network of lake sensing sites coupled with Internet connectivity and grid services initiated by the Global Lake Ecological Observatory Network. The project will catalyze new research in aquatic ecology through improved models and questions designed to extract maximum information from sensor data. Through its broad representation in the aquatic and information technology disciplines, and its strong emphasis on recruiting graduate students and under-represented scientists, this project will advance community network development and help unite scientists whose goals are to realize the promise of new science from sensor networks.