Sensor networks composed of large numbers of self-organizing embedded devices are an increasingly valuable tool for understanding our world. Deployed networks allow scientists to observe phenomena at a scale and resolution that challenge existing instrumentation. Some call
this new instrument the macroscope. My project uses sensor networks to
monitor active volcanoes. Due to the high data rates and stringent fidelity requirements of this application, providing output suitable for scientific analysis requires carefully directing the limited resources
available at each node. In this talk I will present Lance, a general
approach to bandwidth and energy management targeting reliable data
collection for sensor networks. By combining an application-level
determination of value with a system-level estimation of cost, Lance
maximizes the value of the data returned to the application by optimally allocating bandwidth and energy devoted to signal collection. Lance\\'s design decouples data collection policy from mechanism, allowing its optimization metrics to be customized to suit a variety of application goals. I will motivate and describe the Lance architecture, present results from the lab and the field, and discuss continuing efforts in this area, including single-node and network-wide architectures for
distributed energy management.
Bio: Geoffrey Challen (ne Werner-Allen)
is a Ph.D. Candidate in Computer Science at the Harvard University
School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, advised by Matt Welsh. His
research addresses the systems and networking challenges necessary to
enable high-fidelity sensing applications, focusing specifically on
maximizing the usage of the limited resources available to sensor
network nodes. Working with geoscientists, he has helped perform three sensor network deployments on active Ecuadorean volcanoes. He built and maintains MoteLab, a wireless sensor network testbed used by researchers worldwide, and is a co-editor of a forthcoming book on sensor network deployments. Geoffrey is a 2009 Siebel Fellow, and a Resident Tutor at Eliot House.
