Lina M. Pestana Leão de Brito

A Collaborative Model for Wireless Sensor Networks Applied to Museums' Environmental Monitoring

Monitoring the museums environment for preventive conservation of art purposes is one major concern to all museums. In order to properly conserve the artwork it is critical to continuously measure some parameters, such as temperature, relative humidity, light and, also, pollutants, either in storage or exhibition rooms. The deployment of a wireless sensor network in a museum can help implementing these measurements in real-time, continuously, and in a much easier and cheap way. In this paper, we present a practical testbed deployed in a museum called Fortaleza Sao Tiago, located in Madeira Island, Portugal. This work is being developed in the context of an ongoing project on museum environmental and structural monitoring using wireless sensor networks. The experimental testbed is described, as well as all the problems identified.

Towards a Collaborative Model for Wireless Sensor Networks

Collaboration is crucial to Wireless Sensor Networks (WSNs) as a result of the typical resource limitations of wireless sensor nodes. In this paper, we present a model of collaborative work for WSNs. This model is called Wireless Sensor Networks Supported Cooperative Work (WSNSCW) and was created for these specific networks. We also present the formalization of some entities of the model and its properties. This is a generic model that is being used as a basis for the development of a 3D awareness tool for WSNs.

Managing Collaborative Sessions in WSNs

In Wireless Sensor Networks (WSNs), the sensor nodes are typically resource limited. This fact fosters the nodes to collaborate in order to implement their tasks. Therefore, WSNs are, inherently, collaborative networks. In this paper, we propose and implement a model that represents the various types of collaboration relationships that can be established in a WSN. This involves identifying and analyzing the different types of collaboration that may occur in any WSN. As a result, we propose a hierarchy composed by all types and different levels of collaboration, and we propose a collaborative session management tool, called WISE-MANager. This tool allows bringing these concepts into practice, more precisely to the establishment of collaborative sessions. WISE-MANager increases the WNS’s flexibility and the interaction between the user and the network.

Energy resource efficiency policies worldwide

Sustainable production and consumption are major concerns around the World, with positive (or negative) strong economic and social consequences. Subjects, such as, energy independence and competitiveness, have a special focus in the topic of energy efficiency. The efficient use of non-renewable resources, the increment of renewable energy and the policies to orient investments to a smarter use of energy resources are in the core of public and private entities in many countries. This work describes the efforts in different countries and regions of the world to achieve improvements in their relation to energy production and consumption, through different policies, and public and private initiatives. This paper also presents some information about ViREG, a Life Long Programme project, where an Energy Resource Efficiency Policies and Initiatives course was developed.

Towards a Novel Optical Access Networks Management Solution: Addressing General Management Complexity

Abstract Past technological advances and an increasing need to communicate have led to the creation of the current telecommunications networks. A critical part of a telecommunications network is the access network, since it must bridge the clients with the services provided, ensuring an efficient connection between them. In the last few years, both governments and organizations from several countries have adopted large fiber optics implementations in their access networks, given its broadband capabilities. However, the structure of such networks can become very complex, forcing organizations to use means that allow them to efficiently manage such complexity. Several software solutions available on the market are capable of providing management features for these networks, but the complexity of these solutions can negatively affect management, making it lengthy and error-prone. In this paper, we describe the initial development of a software solution, consisting of a set of integrated tools that will make optical access networks management more efficient by addressing the complexity limitations of the current solutions. One of the tools, presented in this paper, was tested with a local ISP (Internet Service Provider) and showed to be capable of overcoming the limitations faced by the organization on managing their optical access network.