Sensor network applications

Sensor networks can be used to monitor our environment, objects in that environment, and the interactions of objects with each other and their encompassing environment. Examples include environmental and habitat monitoring, structural monitoring and condition-based equipment maintenance, and disaster management and emergency response. Researchers working on three diverse projects have developed other novel applications for sensor network technology. In Environmental Sensor Networks, Kirk Martinez and his coauthors from the University of Southampton describe their GlacsWeb project, which involves ongoing research in subglacial bed deformation. They also discuss the challenges encountered in extracting data gathered by sensor nodes deployed in remote locations. In Radiation Detection with Distributed Sensor Networks, Sean M. Brennan and coauthors discuss a project being developed at Los Alamos National Laboratory in cooperation with the University of New Mexico to provide a distributed sensor network for detecting vehicles transporting radioactive isotopes that could potentially be detonated over a densely populated area. Finally, in Shooter Localization in Urban Terrain, Akos Ledeczi and coauthors describe PinPtr, a prototype system that provides a novel approach for detecting and locating a sniper in a challenging environment such as complex urban terrain. These three projects demonstrate the promise of sensor network technology for monitoring our environment and our safety in that environment.