1. Fresh from the boat: Great Duck Island habitat monitoring
Robert Szewczyk
Joe Polastre
Alan Mainwaring
June 18, 2003

2. Outline Application overview System & node evolution
Status & preliminary evaluations
Conclusions

3. Great Duck Island Petrel monitoring
Goal: build ecological models for breeding preferences of Leach’s Storm Petrel
Burrow (nest) occupancy during incubation
Differences in the micro-climates of active vs. inactive burrows
Environmental conditions during 7 month breeding season
Inconspicuous Operation
Reduce the “observer effect”
Sensor Network
Lifetime, size, quantity requirements
Environmental conditions
Data
As much as possible in the power budget
Predictable operation
Confidence in collected readings
Unattended, off-the-grid operation

4. System structure Patch Sensor Node Network Sensor Patch Gateway
Transit Network
Client Data Browsing
and Processing
Basestation
Base-Remote Link
Internet
Data Service

5. System implementation
Sensor Patch
Power over LAN Midspan
IR Burrow Camera #1
IR Burrow Camera #2
IR Burrow Camera #3 )
IR Burrow Camera #4
IR Burrow Camera #5
IR Burrow Camera #6
IR Burrow Camera #7
IR Burrow Camera #8
Axis 2401 Video Server
12VDC, 0.9A
network
Burrow Camera Configuration
Northern WAP
Ethernet switch
Wireless bridge
12V PoL
Active Splitter
110VAC service
Mica2-EPRB#2
IBM laptop #1 DB
Web power strip
Axis 2130 PTZ South
Wireless bridge
4-port VPN router and
16-port Ethernet switch
Power over LAN midspan
IBM laptop #2
WWW power strip
Southern WAP
Satellite router
916 MHz

6. Node architecture advances
Problems observed in previous deployment
Size – motes were too large to fit in many burrows
Packaging – did not provide adequate protection for electronics or proper conditions for sensors
Reliability – last retreat talk; high rate of node loss, lack of scientifically meaningful environmental data
Power consumption – boost converter a minimal return at a high price
New generation of motes to address most of these concerns
Platform based on mica2dot
Primarily calibrated, digital sensors
Multiple application-specific packaging, power, and sensing options

7. Mote evolution

8. Miniature weather station
Sensor suite
Sensirion humidity + temperature sensor
Intersema pressure + temperature sensor
TAOS total solar radiation sensor
Hamamatsu PAR sensor
Radiation sensors measure both direct and diffuse radiation
Power supply
SAFT LiS02 battery, ~1 2.8V
Packaging
HDPE tube with coated sensor boards on both ends of the tube
Additional PVC skirt to provide extra shade and protection against the rain

9. Burrow occupancy detector
Sensor suite
Sensirion humidity + temperature sensor
Melexis passive IR sensor + conditioning circuitry
Power supply
GreatBatch lithium thionyl chloride 1 Ah battery
Maxim 5V boost converter for Melexis circuitry
Packaging
Sealed HDPE tube, emphasis on small size

10. Software architecture advances
Bi-directional communication with low-power listenting
.1% duty cycle
Parameter adjustment and query
Sample rate changes, sensor status queries
Improved power management scheme
Fine granularity through StdControl interface
20 uA sleep mode
Multihop deployment planned for July
What it isn’t: GSK
Emphasis on simplicity and reliability, rather than generality
Compatible with most GSK server-side interfaces

11. Application status Sensor network Redundant database setup online
26 burrow motes deployed
12 weather station motes deployed (+2 for monitoring the insides of the base station case)
Another 14 are awaiting deployment within days
Redundant database setup online
2 base stations logging packets to 2 database servers
Replication to Berkeley
Verification infrastructure
Overview cameras in place
Burrow cameras temporarily offline, wireless bridge problem
Video logging still needs to be synchronized with the mote data service

12. Burrow motes: deployment

13. Burrow motes: link performance

14. Burrow motes: sample data

15. Burrow motes: sample data

16. Burrow motes: sample data

17. Weather stations: deployment

18. Weather stations: link performance

19. Weather stations: sample data

20. Weather stations: sample data

21. Weather stations: sample data

22. Weather stations: sample data

23. Packaging evaluation
We observed what happens to motes when packaging fails
Battery venting, H2SO3 corroding the entire mote
Need to assemble the package correctly – we failed to create proper indication os a good seal
Majority of packages survived severe weather!
Still awaiting evaluation whether the package creates an environment suitable for sensing
Convective heating, etc.

24. Conclusions Next generation of environmental sensor networks
Smaller, better, more robust
Application specific sensor suites vs. kitchen sink
Infrastructure matters
Redundancy at every level
Remote administration and rebooting
Data verification is key!
More analysis to come
Biology studies based on the system
Compare notes with James Reserve system