Premium
New opportunities in ecological sensing using wireless sensor networks
Author(s) -
Collins Scott L.,
Bettencourt Luís MA,
Hagberg Aric,
Brown Renee F.,
Moore Douglas I.,
Bonito Greg,
Delin Kevin A.,
Jackson Shan P.,
Johnson David W.,
Burleigh Scott C.,
Woodrow Richard R.,
McAuley J Michael
Publication year - 2006
Publication title -
frontiers in ecology and the environment
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 3.918
H-Index - 164
eISSN - 1540-9309
pISSN - 1540-9295
DOI - 10.1890/1540-9295(2006)4[402:noiesu]2.0.co;2
Subject(s) - wireless sensor network , sensor web , computer science , key distribution in wireless sensor networks , mobile wireless sensor network , data science , environmental monitoring , real time computing , distributed computing , computer network , wireless , wireless network , ecology , telecommunications , biology
Measuring environmental variables at appropriate temporal and spatial scales remains an important challenge in ecological research. New developments in wireless sensors and sensor networks will free ecologists from a wired world and revolutionize our ability to study ecological systems at relevant scales. In addition, sensor networks can analyze and manipulate the data they collect, thereby moving data processing from the end user to the sensor network itself. Such embedded processing will allow sensor networks to perform data analysis procedures, identify outlier data, alter sampling regimes, and ultimately control experimental infrastructure. We illustrate this capability using a wireless sensor network, the Sensor Web, in a study of microclimate variation under shrubs in the Chihuahuan Desert. Using Sensor Web data, we propose simple analytical protocols for assessing data quality “on‐the‐fly” that can be programmed into sensor networks. The ecological community can influence the evolution of environmental sensor networks by working across disciplines to infuse new ideas into sensor network development.