| As the field of communications networks continues to evolve, a very interesting and challenging area — wireless sensor networks — is rapidly coming of age. A wireless sensor network consists of a large number of sensor nodes that may be randomly and densely deployed. Sensor nodes are small electronic components capable of sensing many types of information from the environment, including temperature; light; humidity; radiation; the presence or nature of biological organisms; geological features; seismic vibrations; specific types of computer data; and more. Recent advancements have made it possible to make these components small, powerful, and energy efficient and they can now be manufactured cost-effectively in quantity for specialized telecommunications applications. Very small in size, the sensor nodes are capable of gathering, processing, and communicating information to other nodes and to the outside world. Based on the information handling capabilities and compact size of the sensor nodes, sensor networks are often referred to as “smart dust.”
Sensor networks have numerous applications, including health; agriculture; geology; retail; military; home; and emergency management. Sensor network research and development derive many concepts and protocols from distributed computer networks such as the Internet; however, several technical challenges in sensor networks need to be addressed due to the specialized nature of the sensors and the fact that many sensor network applications may involve remote mobile sensors with limited power sources that must dynamically adapt to their environment. This handbook proposes to capture the current state of sensor networks and to serve as a source of comprehensive reference material on them.
The handbook has a total of 40 chapters written by experts from around the world and is divided into the following nine sections:
- Introduction
- Applications
- Architecture
- Protocols
- Tracking technologies
- Data gathering and processing
- Energy management
- Security, reliability, and fault tolerance
- Performance and design aspects
This handbook provides technical information about various aspects of sensor networks, networks comprising multiple compact, intercommunicating electronic sensors. The areas covered range from basic concepts to research-grade material, including future directions. This handbook should serve as a complete reference material for sensor networks. |
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