Collaborative Communication and Storage for Sensor Networks in Challenging Environments
NSF Proposal ID: 0953067 PI: WenZhan Song
This project concerns the sustainability and reliability of sensor networks in challenging (e.g., extreme) environments. In a challenged sensor network, a predictable and stable path may never exist, the network connectivity is intermittent, and a node could suddenly appear or disappear. The rare upload opportunity and unpredictable node disruptions often result in data loss. The unpredictable network disruptions make the traditional communication protocols inefficient and require a new design paradigm to combat network disruptions and maintain reliable operations. The driven research idea of this project is collaborative communication and storage - an integrated approach which cooperatively configures resources to increase disruption resilience, data persistence and network lifetime, and capture the fluctuating connectivity for data delivery. The expected outcomes of this project are (1) the innovative architecture principles, algorithms and protocols, design and evaluation methodologies for sensor networks in challenging environments, (2) the design and implementation of an integrated collaborative communication and storage middleware, and the running prototype sensor network systems in relevant environments, and (3) the curriculum and test bed enhancement for undergraduate and graduate research and courses, and educational outreach activities to K-12 students, minority groups and local communities. This project will greatly promote the confident use of sensor networks in challenging environments and enable new applications and economics. The outcomes of this project will be broadly disseminated to academic and industrial communities through international conferences, journals, media and intra-disciplinary and inter-disciplinary collaborations.
