Sensor Network

A sensor network is made up of a set of small devices spread out in a determined area using sensors to monitor everything such as temperature, sound, pressure, movements, chemical compounds and wind velocity. Sensor nodes in a network include a radio transceiver, a small microprocessor, an energy source and one or more sensors. A point worthy to mention is that unlike RFID chips which simply store data, sensors actively monitor and gather data. A sensor network functions by passing data from unit to unit, then finally back to a central system for interpretation. The technology is still in its development stage. Researchers are working on prototypes in order to produce more efficient sensor nodes. Let us talk about the technicality of a wireless sensor network node. Among the several operating systems that can be used by a sensor, TinyOS is the first operating system specifically designed for such network. TinyOS is based on an event-driven programming model instead of multithreading. When an event occurs, like an incoming data packet or a sensor reading, the program calls the appropriate event handler to handle the event. The event handlers then can post tasks that are planed by the TinyOS for a later time. The data collected from a wireless sensor network is saved in a numerial format in a central base station. Furthermore, the Open Geospatial Consortium is allowing interoperability interfaces and metadata encodings that let real time integration of sensor webs into the Web, facilitating the monitor and control of Wireless Sensor Networks. [1]

For organizations, sensor networks will help to keep business running in many ways. Two examples would be inventory tracking and process monitoring. Many companies are already planning to employ this technology in their day to day functions. York International Corp.plans to set up hundreds of thousands of networked sensors on its clients’ air-conditioning machines. Sensors will monitor temperatures and send the data to the company’s offices. This step is estimated to reduce the workload of the company’s 2000 technicians and at the same time drive up the productivity by 15%. Vice president of BP plc, P.P. Darukhanavala is finding a solution for loss of its oil and gas inventory in sensor network. The sensors he would put in the railcars that transport inventory would keep track of where they are and eliminate the loss of profit ranging from $50,000 to $125,000. However, there are downsides to this new technology as well. Some of these include limited battery life of sensor nodes and communication failure due to wireless interference issues. [2] Another problem with these sensors is the concern with privacy. It could track everything as it might be used in payment systems and could be placed inside of products as ID devices. [3]


Author (2004, December 1). Sensor Networks Make Early Inroads. Retrieved September 28, 2007, from http://www.extremesensors.com/article/Sensor+Networks+Make+Early+Inroads/141113_1.aspx
Green, H. (2003, August 25). Tech Wave 2: The Sensor Revolution. BusinessWeek. Retrieved September 28, 2007, from http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/03_34/b3846622.htm

Wikimedia Foundation, Inc. (2007).Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Retrieved from September 28, 2007, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wireless_sensor_network