Ubiquitous Global Sensing

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Our everyday lives are increasingly coupled with real-time data gathering and decision making: from weather/road conditions that impede transportation to emergency dispatch units that require accurate and timely data. To be efficient, these data gathering and decision making processes require an abundance of sensors to collect data and reliable networks to communicate data back to processing centers. As societies grow, the increasing entanglements between transportation, municipal and technological systems create complexities that cause the data gathering and decision making capabilities of existing sensing networks to decrease. Dynamic architectures capable of scaling and harmoniously synergizing sensing systems are needed. I will build on my research in wireless sensing networks (WSNs), capitalizing on the abundance and growing redundancy of sensing systems that exist in isolation, to create a framework for Ubiquitous Global Sensing (UGS). WSNs have long been dominated by an application-specific thrust but, by enhancing WSNs through a UGS platform, we can encompass resources that are abundant across heterogeneous platforms and enlist the resources of wireless devices in the vicinity of the network. A UGS architecture can enhance performance, improve the quality of data gathered and present an intrinsically scalable architecture that dynamically responds to sensing needs. To encourage multiple-network owners to contribute resources, I will introduce pricing mechanisms for dynamic payment schemes. Unique to my approach, we will integrate the resources increasingly abundant in today’s smartphones and smart vehicles, as well as those found in industrial, municipal and proprietary sensors. In the course of this research program, we will create test beds for performance evaluation and prototype sensing systems that depict the dynamic nature of the UGS paradigm. In addition, this research program will tackle the critical issue of retaining data collected by sensors, even when the network fails to communicate it. Through UGS, we introduce a paradigm shift to on-demand WSNs based on the available sensors in the region of interest. Training of highly qualified personnel involved in this program will include experience in WSN protocol design, in-network data storage techniques, resource representation and management, multi-hop networking and heterogeneous networks. Six PhD, six Master’s and six undergraduate students will receive training through in this research program. There is a strong demand for these HQP in the telecommunications sector and their future employment will accelerate dissemination of next-generation communications technology to Canadian industry.