The is a type of
sensor network or geographic information
system (GIS) that is especially well suited for environmental monitoring and
control. The term describes a specific type of sensor network: an amorphous
network of spatially distributed sensor platforms (pods) that
wireless communicate with each other. This amorphous architecture is unique
since it is both synchronous and router-free, making it distinct from the more
typical TCP/IP-like network schemes. The architecture allows every
pod to know
what is going on with every other pod throughout the Sensor Web at each
measurement cycle.
Note that a Sensor Web pod is merely a physical platform for a sensor and
thus can be orbital or terrestrial, fixed or mobile and might even have real
time accessibility via the Internet. Pod-to-pod
communication is both
omni-directional and bi-directional where each pod sends out collected
data to
every other pod in the network. As a result, on-the-fly data fusion, such as
false positive identification and plume tracking, can occur within the Sensor
Web itself and the system subsequently reacts as a coordinated, collective
whole to the incoming data stream. For example, instead of having uncoordinated
smoke detectors, a Sensor Web can react as a single, spatially-dispersed, fire locater.
Today, there have been a variety of Sensor Web field deployments with
systems spanning as many as 6 miles and running continuously for over 3 years.
Sensor Webs have been field tested in many environments
including the gardens
at the Huntington Library for botanical conditions including soil moisture and
temperature, Antarctica to monitor micro climate conditions for extreme life
detection, and, in cooperation with the University of Arizona,
in the Central Avra Valley Storage and Recovery Project for flooding detection.
Sensor Webs have also proved valuable in urban search and rescue, as well as
infrastructure protection.
More abstracts about the Sensor Web