Lisa Shirachi

Networked infomechanical systems: a mobile embedded networked sensor platform

Networked infomechanical systems (NIMS) introduces a new actuation capability for embedded networked sensing. By exploiting a constrained actuation method based on rapidly deployable infrastructure, NIMS suspends a network of wireless mobile and fixed sensor nodes in three-dimensional space. This permits run-time adaptation with variable sensing location, perspective, and even sensor type. Discoveries in NIMS environmental investigations have raised requirements for 1) new embedded platforms integrating many diverse sensors with actuators, and 2) advances for in-network sensor data processing. This is addressed with a new and generally applicable processor-preprocessor architecture described in this paper. Also this paper describes the successful integration of R, a powerful statistical computing environment, into the embedded NIMS node platform.

Networked infomechanical systems (NIMS): next generation sensor networks for environmental monitoring

Embedded networked sensing systems have been successfully applied to environmental monitoring in a wide range of applications. These first results have demonstrated a potential for advancing fundamental environmental science methods and environmental management capability as well as for providing future methods for safeguarding public health. While substantial progress in sensor network performance has appeared, new challenges have also emerged. Specifically, the inevitable and unpredictable time evolution of environmental phenomena introduces sensing uncertainty and degrades the performance of event detection, environment characterization, and sensor fusion. Many of the physical obstacles encountered by static sensors may be circumvented by a new method, Networked Infomechanical Systems (NIMS). NIMS integrates distributed, embedded sensing and computing systems with infrastructure-supported mobility to enable direct uncertainty characterization, autonomous adjustment of spatiotemporal sampling rate, and active sensor fusion. NIMS actuation is also being applied to advancing sensor network performance through methods based on control of distributed, directional antenna systems. In addition to advances in fundamental research objectives, this presentation will describe the architecture, implementation, and application of NIMS now deployed and continuously operating in the field...

Coordinated static and mobile sensing for environmental monitoring

Distributed embedded sensor networks are now being successfully deployed in environmental monitoring of natural phenomena as well as for applications in commerce and physical security. While substantial progress in sensor network performance has appeared, new challenges have also emerged as these systems have been deployed in the natural environment. First, in order to achieve minimum sensing fidelity performance, the rapid spatiotemporal variation of environmental phenomena requires impractical deployment densities. The presence of obstacles in the environment introduces sensing uncertainty and degrades the performance of sensor fusion systems in particular for the many new applications of image sensing. The physical obstacles encountered by sensing may be circumvented by a new mobile sensing method or Networked Infomechanical Systems (NIMS). NIMS integrates distributed, embedded sensing and computing systems with infrastructure-supported mobility. NIMS now includes coordinated mobility methods that exploits adaptive articulation of sensor perspective and location as well as management of sensor population to provide the greatest certainty in sensor fusion results. The architecture, applications, and implementation of NIMS will be discussed here. In addition, results of environmentally-adaptive sampling, and direct measurement of sensing uncertainty will be described.