Jer Hayes

Wireless Sensor Networks and Chemo-/Biosensing

3.4.5. Example 5: Volcanic Activity 658 3.4.6. Example 6: Soil Moisture 659 3.5. Discussion and Conclusions 659 4. Body Sensor Networks 661 4.1. Wearable Sensors 661 4.2. Functionalized Fabrics 662 4.2.1. Metal Fibers 662 4.2.2. Conductive Inks 662 4.2.3. Inherently Conducting Polymers 662 4.2.4. Optical Fibers 662 4.2.5. Coating with Nanoparticles 662 4.2.6. Integrated Components 663 4.2.7. Wearable Actuators 663 4.2.8. Interconnects and Infrastructure 664 4.3. Applications of Wearable Sensors 665 4.4. Wearable Chemosensing 667 4.5. Applications in Personalized (p)Health 668 4.6. Conclusions 670 5. Materials SciencesThe Future 670 5.1. Microfluidics and Lab-on-a-Chip Devices 670 5.2. Controlling Liquid Movement in Surfaces and on Channels 671

Evaluation of a low cost wireless chemical sensor network for environmental monitoring

We present work on the development and testing of a low-cost wireless chemical sensor network (WCSN) for monitoring irritant/toxic gases in the environment. The WCSN used in this work takes advantage of recent advances in low power wireless communication platforms and uses colorimetric sensors to detect the presence of certain target gases. This sensor network adopts a star configuration and performs one way RF communications from individual sensor nodes to the base-station. Each node in the network is composed of a multiple sensor platform that measures light intensity, temperature and motion. The light sensor was used as the chemical sensing platform in such a way that the node is housed in a specially constructed sealed container that has a colorimetric chemical sensing film coated PMMA window aperture directly above the light sensor. The light intensity reaching the light sensor is modulated by changes in the colour of the sensing film and such changes indicate the presence of chemical plumes.

Smart traffic analytics in the semantic web with STAR-CITY

This paper gives a high-level presentation of STAR-CITY, a system supporting semantic traffic analytics and reasoning for city. STAR-CITY, which integrates (human and machine-based) sensor data using variety of formats, velocities and volumes, has been designed to provide insight on historical and real-time traffic conditions, all supporting efficient urban planning. Our system demonstrates how the severity of road traffic congestion can be smoothly analyzed, diagnosed, explored and predicted using semantic web technologies. Our prototype of semantics-aware traffic analytics and reasoning, illustrated and experimented in Dublin Ireland, but also tested in Bologna Italy, Miami USA and Rio Brazil works and scales efficiently with real, historical together with live and heterogeneous stream data. This paper highlights the lessons learned from deploying and using a system in Dublin City based on Semantic Web technologies.

Big data text-oriented benchmark creation for Hadoop

Massive-scale Big Data analytics is representative of a new class of workloads that justifies a rethinking of how computing systems should be optimized. This paper addresses the need for a set of benchmarks that system designers can use to measure the quality of their designs and that customers can use to evaluate competing systems offerings with respect to commonly performed text-oriented workflows in Hadoop™. Additions are needed to existing benchmarks such as HiBench in terms of both scale and relevance. We describe a methodology for creating a petascale data-size text-oriented benchmark that includes representative Big Data workflows and can be used to test total system performance, with demands balanced across storage, network, and computation. Creating such a benchmark requires meeting unique challenges associated with the data size and its often unstructured nature. To be useful, the benchmark also needs to be sufficiently generic to be accepted by the community at large. Here, we focus on a text-oriented Hadoop workflow that consists of three common tasks: categorizing text documents, identifying significant documents within each category, and analyzing significant documents for new topic creation.

STAR-CITY: semantic traffic analytics and reasoning for CITY

This paper presents STAR-CITY, a system supporting semantic traffic analytics and reasoning for city. STAR-CITY, which integrates (human and machine-based) sensor data using variety of formats, velocities and volumes, has been designed to provide insight on historical and real-time traffic conditions, all supporting efficient urban planning. Our system demonstrates how the severity of road traffic congestion can be smoothly analyzed, diagnosed, explored and predicted using semantic web technologies. We present how semantic diagnosis and predictive reasoning, both using and interpreting semantics of data to deliver useful, accurate and consistent inferences, have been exploited and adapted systematized in an intelligent user interface. Our prototype of semantics-aware traffic analytics and reasoning, experimented in Dublin City Ireland, works and scales efficiently with historical together with real live and heterogeneous stream data.

A Mobile Gateway for Remote Interaction With Wireless Sensor Networks

Wireless sensor networks (WSNs) almost invariably support a centralized network management model. Though the data gathering function is conducted remotely, such data are usually routed via data sinks to central servers for processing, storage, visualization, and interpretation. However, the issue of supporting remote access to WSNs and individual sensor nodes whilst in their physical environment has not been viewed as a priority. It is envisaged that this situation will change as WSNs proliferate in a range of domains, and the potential for supporting innovative revenue-generating services manifest themselves. As a step towards realizing such access, a mobile gateway has been designed and implemented. This gateway supports Zigbee as this is the predominant protocol supported by WSNs. Furthermore, it also supports Bluetooth, thereby facilitating interaction with conventional mobile devices. The gateway is programmable according to the needs of arbitrary services and applications.

Wearable technology for bio-chemical analysis of body fluids during exercise

This paper details the development of a textile based fluid handling system with integrated wireless biochemical sensors. Such research represents a new advancement in the area of wearable technologies. The system contains pH, sodium and conductivity sensors. It has been demonstrated during on-body trials that the pH sensor has close agreement with measurements obtained using a reference pH probe. Initial investigations into the sodium and conductivity sensors have shown their suitability for integration into the wearable system. It is thought that applications exist in personal health and sports performance and training.

Simultaneous Web-based real-time temperature monitoring using multiple wireless sensor networks

We outline a system that allows simultaneous temperature monitoring on two or more fishing vessels using multiple wireless sensor networks. The distribution of wireless temperature data loggers across a boat with an associated base station results in the fishing vessel being in effect an individual wireless sensor network. The existence of this wireless sensor network allows for real-time temperature monitoring with the temperature information being accessed over the Internet. Previously, Web-based real-time temperature monitoring of fish catches has used single sensor networks to monitor temperature, so a user could only monitor the temperature sensors of a single vessel. The system we outline allows for multiple sensor networks to be integrated and for a user to monitor temperature across two or more of these networks. Furthermore the system uses SMS to send warnings and to monitor recent temperature data. The system is built around a Web server and bespoke wireless data loggers operating over a GSM network

A gas-phase colorimetric sensor for the detection of amine spoilage products in packaged fish

In this work, the design and application of a colorimetric amine sensor is detailed. The sensor consists of a pH indicator dye immobilised within a rugged, gas-permeable polymer film. The visual transition can be monitored quantitatively using a custom-built LED probe, or qualitatively with the human eye (i.e. using a colour code). Incorporation of several indicator dyes allows the monitoring of pH over an extended range and the sensor also has many potential applications in gas phase analysis (6 ppm LOD for ammonia). In this case, the sensor has been tailored to monitor TVB-N (total volatile basic nitrogen) spoilage products in the headspace of packaged fish. As the fish spoils, a colour change results as the TVB-N compounds shift the pH to higher values. This provides a non-invasive and simple method of rapidly detecting spoilage of produce inside sealed packaging. In trials to date, the sensor response has been found to mirror the progress of microbial spoilage

Wearable sensors for monitoring sports performance and training

Textile based devices for biochemical analysis of body fluids represent a new development in the area of wearable sensors. This paper outlines the development of a fluid handling system and wireless sensors for the real-time analysis of sweat pH and sodium levels during exercise. Liquid is drawn into the system using a moisture wicking material and passive pump. The sensor then displays pH induced colorimetric changes, which are recorded using an optical detection system. The device has been tested under laboratory conditions and can easily detect increments of 0.2 pH units. At present, changes in sodium content are determined using a specially constructed classic ion selective electrode and reference electrode, combined to form a single probe. This is placed in contact with the fabric of the fluid handling system in order to obtain a real-time potentiometric sodium measurement. Both devices have successfully been used for the investigation of sweat composition during on-body trials.