Collaborative Research: Internet System for Networked Sensor Experimentation

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The University of Massachusetts Lowell (UML) and Machine Science Inc. propose to develop a web-based system for aggregating and sharing sensor data collected using a wireless communication system. The system would allow high school students and undergraduates to view, graph, analyze, and export data from individual sensors, and to combine data from multiple sensors to examine regional, national, and global phenomena (e.g., for STEM topics ranging from human health to environmental science and energy conservation). The proposed project?s intellectual merit derives from its use of emerging wireless and web technologies to enhance student engagement and understanding. Recent advances in wireless communication, power management, and networking protocols have made it significantly easier and less expensive to gather real-time data from remotely installed sensors. At the same time, new Internet technologies have emerged for sharing and aggregating data from multiple sources. Notably, the project will make use of RSS technology, which transforms web content, such as blogs, message board postings, and syndicated news, into data streams that can be readily parsed and manipulated. Likewise, the project will leverage ?mashup? technology, which combines user-supplied data with the imagery and user interface of web services like Google Maps to produce hybrid tools of astounding power and versatility. The scientific instruments and web system developed under the grant will be piloted in Massachusetts and then actively promoted nationally to ensure the project?s broader impacts. As the data set grows, it will be available for review and analysis by the entire web community. Open standards for data representation and transmission will be used, as appropriate. At the pilot stage, students will be recruited from racially diverse and economically disadvantaged urban communities, and encouraged to pursue research projects focusing on a variety of scientific problems.