Javier Barbarán

A Real-Time Component-Oriented Middleware for Wireless Sensor and Actor Networks

Wireless sensor and actor networks (WSANs) constitute an emerging and pervasive technology that is attracting increased interest for a wide range of applications. The increasing functionality of this kind of network makes it necessary to propose tools and methodologies to facilitate software development. This paper proposes a middleware called MWSAN to provide a set of high level services for sensor and actor networks. The middleware meets the component-oriented paradigm and developers can configure it depending on the actor and sensor resources. It takes into account issues such as the network configuration, the quality of service (QoS) and the coordination among actors. MWSAN is specified in UM-RTCOM, a component model oriented to real time systems adapted to WSANs that allows us to take into account real time requirements in the applications. Additionally, we present an implementation model based on RT Java for actors. In order to apply the proposed middleware we describe an example specified in UM-RTCOM and its RT Java implementation

TC-WSANs: A Tuple Channel based Coordination Model for Wireless Sensor and Actor Networks

Wireless sensor and actor networks (WSANs) constitute a new pervasive technology. WSANs have two major requirements: coordination mechanisms for both sensor-actor and actor-actor interactions, and real-time communication to perform correct and timely actions. This paper introduces TC-WSANs, a high-level coordination model that addresses these two requirements and facilitates the application programmer task. Our proposal is based on a (hierarchical) architecture of sensor/actor clusters and the use of tuple channels to achieve communication and synchronization among sensors and actors. A tuple channel is a priority queue structure that allows data structures to be communicated both in a one-to-many and many-to-one way, facilitating the data-centric behavior of sensor queries. The characteristics of TC-WSANs and the primitives that it provides for its integration into a computational host language are presented.

Programming Wireless Sensor and Actor Networks with TC-WSANs

Wireless sensor and actor networks (WSANs) constitute a new pervasive technology and currently one of the most interesting fields of research. WSANs have two major challenges: coordination mechanisms for both sensor-actor and actor-actor interactions, and real-time communication to perform correct and timely actions. This paper introduces a middleware architecture that address these two requirements and facilitate the application programmer task. Our proposal supports a high-level coordination model that is based on the use of tuple channels to achieve communication and synchronization among the nodes. A tuple channel is a priority queue structure that allows data structures to be communicated both in a one-to-many and many-to-one way, facilitating the data-centric behavior of sensor queries. The main characteristics of the model and the different components forming the middleware are presented. In addition, some implementation details and preliminary results of the current prototype are described.

Simulating SMEPP middleware

Embedded Peer-to-Peer Systems (EP2P) represent a new challenge in the development of software for distributed systems. The main objective of the SMEPP (Secure Middleware for Embedded Peer-to-Peer Systems) project is to develop a new middleware, based on a new network centric abstract model, specially designed for the above described systems, and trying to overcome the main problems of the currently existing domain specific middleware proposals. This paper presents a SMEPP Middleware component-based simulation tool. The main objective of developing this simulator is to provide a tool to enable the testing of the service model proposed for the middleware and to provide a framework to test different middleware design choices. Simulations will help us to make future decisions. Simulating SMEPP applications, that is, applications running on the SMEPP middleware and based on the API that it offers, help us to make decisions about the most requirement-satisfactory way of constructing the middleware. The simulated middleware API component represents a first approach to middleware design, and introduces some of the architectural issues that must to be solved in the near future.

Middleware and communication technologies for structural health monitoring of critical infrastructures: A survey

Abstract Critical Infrastructure Protection (CIP) has become a priority for every country around the world with the aim of reducing vulnerabilities and improving protection of Critical Infrastructures (CI) against terrorist attacks or natural disasters, among other threats. As part of CIP, Structural Health Monitoring (SHM) is defined as the process of gathering basic information that allows detecting, locating and quantifying vulnerabilities early on (fatigue cracking, degradation of boundary conditions, etc.) thereby improving, the resilience of the CI. Recent advances in electronics, wireless communication and software are expected to open the door to a new era of densely connected devices sharing information worldwide, known as the Internet of Things (IoT), in which Wireless Sensor Networks (WSNs) play an important role. The combined use of IoT/WSNs together with industrial sensors in SHM provide an ad-hoc, inexpensive and easy way of deploying a monitoring system, where data can be shared among different entities. SHM requirements are challenging and diverse and therefore several different technologies may be used in the same deployment. At the same time the use of a middleware can substantially simplify and speed up the development of applications for SHM. Taking into account the challenges of SHM systems, this paper provides a review of the most novel and relevant wireless technologies and a state-of-the-art middleware for WSNs focusing on SHM specific requirements.