Description:

Designing, implementing, and operating a wireless sensor network involves a wide range of disciplines and many application-specific constraints. To make sense of and take advantage of these systems, a holistic approach is needed—and this is precisely what Wireless Sensor Networks delivers.

Inside, two eminent researchers review the diverse technologies and techniques that interact in today’s wireless sensor networks. At every step, they are guided by the high-level information-processing tasks that determine how these networks are architected and administered. Zhao and Guibas begin with the canonical problem of localizing and tracking moving objects, then systematically examine the many fundamental sensor network issues that spring from it, including network discovery, service establishment, data routing and aggregation, query processing, programming models, and system organization. The understanding gained as a result—how different layers support the needs of different applications, and how a wireless sensor network should be built to optimize performance and economy—is sure to endure as individual component technologies come and go.