CAREER: Fundamental Performance Limits of Large-Scale Wireless Sensor Networks

近年来，关于具有无线通信功能的网络软件设备一旦部署，将如何影响我们的工作、学习、互动、组织、娱乐、打仗和从灾难中恢复的方式，人们谈论了很多。对无线网络的兴趣导致了移动和自组网领域的大量研究活动，解决了系统和理论问题。然而，与无线传感器网络相关的基本信息理论概念的研究工作并不多。无线传感器网络是指嵌入环境中的微小、低功耗、不可靠的设备，其传感和通信能力非常有限。这个项目主要是关于大规模无线传感器网络的基本性能限制的研究。具体来说，有三个问题，彼此深深交织在一起，在实践中非常相关，我们集中精力：-源编码问题，处理由传感器节点产生的随机场的代码和信号处理算法的设计和性能分析。路由问题，处理网络中移动传感器数据的协议和信号处理算法的设计和性能分析。-反向通信问题，处理用于将传感器数据移出网络的代码和信号处理算法的设计和性能分析。解决传感器网络中的源编码、路由和反向通信问题需要将网络和通信理论概念“结合”起来。这为教育创新提供了一个有趣的机会，因为网络通常被视为“纯粹的计算机科学”主题，而传播理论通常被视为“纯粹的计算机科学”主题。我所有的教育和拓展活动（本科和研究生课程开发，实验室开发，本科教科书开发，社区服务）都是围绕着为学生提供网络和通信方面的坚实理论基础这一总体目标而设计的，以及更具体的目标，即在无线传感器网络的背景下突出这些概念之间的相互作用。

In recent times much has been said about how, once deployed, networksof devices with wireless communication capabilities will affect the waywe work, learn, interact, organize, get entertained, fight wars, andrecover from disasters. This interest in wireless networks has led toa fair amount of research activity in the areas of mobile and ad-hocnetworking, addressing both systems and theory issues. However, notmuch research work has been done on fundamental information theoreticconcepts related to wireless *sensor* networks, i.e., networks of tiny,low power, unreliable devices equipped with very limited sensing andcommunication capabilities, and embedded in the environment. Thisproject is primarily about the study of fundamental performance limitsfor large-scale wireless sensor networks. Specifically, there arethree problems, deeply intertwined with each other, and very relevantin practice, on which we concentrate our efforts: - Source Coding problems, dealing with the design and performanceanalysis of codes and signal processing algorithms for the random fieldsgenerated by sensor nodes. - Routing problems, dealing with design and performance analysis ofprotocols and signal processing algorithms for moving sensor data *within*the network. - Reachback Communication problems, dealing with the design andperformance analysis of codes and signal processing algorithms for movingsensor data *out* of the network.The solution to problems of source coding, routing, and reachbackcommunication in sensor networks requires a "marriage" of networkingand communication theoretic concepts. This presents an interestingopportunity for innovation in education, since networking is typicallyregarded as a "pure CS" topic, whereas communication theory is typicallyregarded as a "pure EE" topic. All of my educational and outreachactivities (undergraduate and graduate course development, lab development,undergraduate textbook development, service to community) are designedaround the general goal of providing a solid theoretical basis to ourstudents in networking and communications, as well as the more specificgoal of highlighting the interplay between these concepts in the contextof wireless sensor networks.