| We will construct a smart sensor web in Southeast Alaska to serve four broad research applications--Science, telecommunications, education and monitoring--with three technological emphases: (1) Network adaptation in response to acquired data and detected events, (2) Network nodes that self-modify their power management strategy, and (3) Flexibility and adaptability to accommodate new sensors, applications, and investigators. The primary product of this project will be a wireless backbone that will drastically reduce operational cost of data return for a broad spectrum of field investigators in the environmental bellwether of Southeast Alaska. This network, anchored in Juneau and extending from the Juneau Icefield to Glacier Bay, will be constructed as an aggregate of subnets tied together by long-range communication technology, particularly radio modems or satellite links. The network will return data on glacier dynamics and mass balance, watershed hydrology, coastal marine ecology, and human impact/hazards monitoring. Additional features include a semi-closed network model that employs common communication standards to import data and export configuration directives, power-miserly nodes, redundant connectivity and a robust network transport protocol. New users will be added by "dry-connecting" at the University of Alaska before proceeding to field deployment. Acquired data will be integrated into environmental science programs in classrooms in Juneau. Project success metrics include area served, return data volume and breadth, installation survival rate and impact on our understanding of the study sites. The three-year project will commence at TRL 4 and conclude at TRL 7 with further latent capacity to support sensor web communications research. |