The next generation of wireless is in distributed sensor networks. Applications in this area are a rapidly growing research area. The project will investigate possibilities for coordinated action to improve the energy efficiency in distributed sensor network on all levels, from software to component design to system integration. The overall goal and impact of this will be the decrease in the cost of sensor network, allowing wider, more capable deployments for generalized information gathering and surveillance. A test-bed environment for energy-efficiency and performance evaluation of reconfigurable hierarchical networks of sensors will be established at the Center for Nanosensor Technology at the University of Alaska Fairbanks. Another anticipated benefit of such intelligent surveillance sensor networks is the extension of the same principles to everyday applications of distributed sensor networks.
