Sensor Network Article Index for
Sensor
Website Links For
Sensor
 

Information About

Sensor Network




Sensor networks involve three areas: sensing, communications, and computation (hardware, software, algorithms). Very useful technologies are wireless database technology such as queries, used in a wireless sensor network, and network technology to communicate with other sensors, especially multihop routing protocols. For example, Zigbee is a wireless protocol used by Motorola in home control systems.


APPLICATIONS

Sensor networks are applied in a wide variety of areas, such as Video Surveillance , traffic monitoring, Air Traffic Control , Robot ics, Car s, home and health monitoring and manufacturing and Industrial Automation . One typical application in Environmental Monitoring is Sensor Web .


OPERATION

The networks usually self-organize in order to cope with changes. Data from the sensors is usually aggregated and analyzed by a computer outside the network. This computer is connected to the network by a special network node called a gateway node or sink or base station.


HISTORY

The early sensor networks were designed for military purposes, like the Sound Surveillance System (SOSUS) during the Cold War . Modern research on sensor networks started around 1980 at the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA): Distributed Sensor Networks (DSN) program. Smaller computing chips, more capable sensors, wireless networks, and other new IT technologies are pushing the development of sensor networks.


SEE ALSO



EXTERNAL REFERENCES