Environmental Sensor Networks for Research and Education: Building capacity in the lake and coral reef scientific communities

20 – 21 September 2004

SIO, UCSD, La Jolla

 

Summary

 

Abstract:

 

On 20 and 21 September 2004 nearly 30 researchers from several different institutions participated in a workshop on Environmental Sensor Networks for Research and Education: Building capacity in the lake and coral reef scientific communities. The workshop was motivated by the increases in use of wireless technologies and sensors to build sensor networks that would extend the geographic domain of the global cyberinfrastructure.  An overarching goal for the workshop was to help build capacity in the communities interested in linking sensor data from lakes to better understand carbon dynamics and from coral reefs to better understand the impact of a changing environment. The three objectives of the workshop included

  • Sharing experiences with sensors, wireless, and data systems in a variety of settings from lake and near coast settings, including issues of data flow experiences/solutions  (especially integration of process models, ancillary data, QA/QC);
  • Identifying trends in those three technical areas (sensors, wireless communication, and data systems), being sure to address integrating sensors into a system capable of detecting patterns at multiple temporal and spatial scales;
  • Planning for a larger workshop that would help design a global, bottom-up, network of sensor-equipped observatories for lakes and coral reefs. We are seeking funds from a private foundation for this subsequent meeting, with a time frame of January – March 2005.  The meeting would focus on issues of sensors and wireless networks, standards for data integration, and input to the Information Integration System. It is our intent to invite individuals from around the world.

In this document we focus on the key deliverables of the workshop. We include additional information in appendices to document attendees, specific presentations, list of potential invitees to a future workshop.

 

Acknowledgements:

 

  • National Science Foundation award DBI 0120071, for defraying some local expenses
  • Scripps Institution of Oceanography, for providing room and administrative support
  • North Temperate Lake LTER, for providing web site lakemetabolism.org for presentations of the workshop
  • All participants, for funding their travel and lodging, especially those who came from Taiwan and Australia

 

Key Deliverables of the September 2004 Workshop:

 

  • Presentations: Available at lakemetabolism.org (Appendix 2 is the Agenda with speakers and titles of talks)
  • Concrete Interactions: Several activities were launched or enhanced based on discussion, some of which are to be complete by the next workshop. Some concrete interactions (heard in the hallway), to be completed by the 2005 workshop, include
    • Develop software stack for orb; deploy orbs: Frank Vernon
    • Web services to sensors: Rick McMullen, Stuart Kininmonth, Ian Atkinson
    • Web services for lake metabolism: Tony Fountain, Longjiang Ding
    • Minimum set of data from Lakes for metabolism: Tim Kratz
    • Your project here!!!
  • Plans for Workshop in 2005: Initial discussion took place to frame some issues we need to address at the future workshop in early 2005.

 

 

 

Workshop in Early 2005:

The remainder of this report summarized the status of plans for the workshop in early 2005.

 

Goals of Meeting:

  • Explore overlaps in “Aquatic Sensor Nets”, both lake and marine.
    • Are there scientific threads that they these groups together?
    • Are there technical overlaps in challenges facing these groups?
    • Consider the common theme “Drivers of dynamics at different spatial and temporal scales” as a glue between lakes and marine.
  • Review common technologies and their trends
  • Design plan to establish global lake observing system, with several connections to be complete by 2005
    • Create shared vision of “larger science” to be conducted with a global network of sensors
    • Agree on
      • What data are to be collected?
      • What metadata will be captured? Can this be automated?
      • How to handle issues of calibration (for comparison across lakes as well as quality of data by a sensor)?
    • Agree on architectural framework for data sharing.
    • Define a schedule for implementation
    • Discuss structures or means for staying coordinated and in touch
    • Provide feedback from scientists to engineers in designing sensors, web services, data interfaces
  • Take steps to bring interactions among groups observing coral reefs
  • Explore other community and capacity building activities
    • Is there need for establishing a journal (electronic) of applied results for sensor networks
    • What other meetings should this group be targeted to disseminate products of our discussion?
  • Explore organizational issues (as appropriate and if need and interest come together)
    • Should there be working groups on issues of standards, or implementation best practices?

 

Outcome of Meeting:

  • For Lakes
    • Have a design document for metadata, data interfaces (to share data), overall architectural design, and schedule that includes hooking in more sites by the end of the hear, and shared vision statement of the science that we will jointly enable.
  • For Coral Reefs
  • For Group

 

 

Program Committee of the workshop:

  • Members (volunteers)
    • Peter Arzberger
    • Tim Kratz
    • Fang-Pang Lin
    • Sally Holbrook
    • One other (international - coral)
  • Responsibilities
    • Refine goals
    • Develop agenda
    • Ensure attendance

 

List of invites:

  • Major Question: How many people do we feel is appropriate to achieve our goals?
  • Lists: Under development

 

Dates:

  • Window 1: 2 – 4 February (W – F)
  • Window 2: 15 – 17 February (T – Thurs)
  • Window 3: 2 – 4 March (W – F)
  • Window 4: 7 - 11 March (M – F) (would have to ask for no-cost extension to NSF award)

 

Hotels:

  • Need to reserve

 

Meeting Location:

  • Major question: Do we want this on UCSD/SIO campus, or off campus?
  • Other questions:
    • Where? [SIO if at all possible would be great. CalIT2 building won’t be done yet ]
    • How many breakout rooms?
    • What IT/Vis facilities need (e.g. wireless network, vtc, viswall?)

 

 

Issues for Lakes Focus – Many to be addressed prior to 2005 meeting:

  1. Identify what data are currently being captured, including
    1. Metadata used
    2. Type of sensor
    3. Type of datalogger
    4. Is there wireless connection, or is it retrieved by a person (if retrieved, how often)
    5. How are data stored after retrieved from datalogger (database, spreadsheet, flat files, other)

                                                               i.      What interfaces are being used to the data loggers?

    1. Is data currently available on line?

                                                               i.      Is it openly available?

                                                             ii.      Is there need for a password?

  1. Identify key applications of data, including
    1. How are the data viewed?
    2. What analysis packages are used to calculate derived variables (e.g. metabolism)?
    3. What analysis packages are used for analysis of the data?
  2. What are future plans for enhancement of existing systems (sensors, buoys, data) or deployment of equipment for new functionality? What are the time frames?
  3. Do the groups have vtc equipment?

 

 

Design Philosophy Ideas:

·        Do prototypes!

  • Address the metadata issue early.
  • Data system is “sensor” independent

o       Once data are in digital form, we should use common framework for sharing data

·        Think end-to-end

·        Create a baseline

·        Leave data in hands of curators / scientists

·        Automate processes whenever possible

·        Keep design modular, with standard interfaces.

Appendix 1

Agenda

Environmental Sensor Networks for Research and Education: Building capacity in the lake and coral reef scientific communities

 

Workshop to take the first steps

20-21 September 2004

Scripps Institution of Oceanography

University of California, San Diego

Agenda:

 

Monday 20 September 2004:

Revel Vis Center Conference Room

 

0800 – 0830    Continental Breakfast

0830 – 0845    Welcome to UCSD and SIO: John Orcutt

0845 – 0900    Overview of Day, Background: Peter Arzberger and Tim Kratz

 

0900 – 1000    Session 1: Lake Metabolism and Wireless (Chair Peter Arzberger)

  • Lake Metabolism: Experiences at North Temperate Lake LTER site: Tim Kratz
  • HPWREN: Wireless Experiences in San Diego and New Directions in Wireless Communications: Hans-Werner Braun
  • Discussion:  Chair

 

1000 – 1015    Break

 

1015 – 1115    Session 2: Coast Sensing and Sensors (Chair Fang-Pang Lin)

  • Moorea LTER: Andrew Brooks, and Ryan Kastner
  • Networking Los Amigos: Jim Omura
  • Discussion

 

1115 – 1225    Session 3: Ecogrid and Middleware (Chair Frank Vernon)

  • Ecogrid in Taiwan and Coral Reefs: Fang-Pang Lin
  • Web services: Tony Fountain, Longjiang Ding
  • Discussion

 

1225 – 1345    Lunch

 

1345 – 1515    Session 4: Lake Rotoiti and Integrated Information Systems (Chair Tim Kratz)

  • Lake Rotoiti: David Hamilton (via vtc)
  • Integrated Information System: Amarnath Gupta
  • Middleware in Sensors: Rick McMullen
  • Discussion

 

 

1515 – 1615    Session 5: Great Barrier Reef and ROADNet (Chair Karen Stocks)

  • Great Barrier Reef: Stuart Kininmonth
  • ROADNet: Frank Vernon
  • Discussion

 

1615 – 1630    Break

 

1630 – 1730:   Session 6: OBIS and CENS (Chair Rick McMullen)

  • OBIS: Karen Stocks
  • CENS: Deborah Estrin
  • Discussion

 

1730 – 1745: Session 7: Summary

  • Summary: Tim Kratz, Peter Arzberger

 

 

Tuesday 21 September

Revel Vis Center Conference Room

 

0800 – 0830    Continental Breakfast

0830 – 0900    Review of previous day’s work, overall discussion, assignment of tasks

0900 – 1100    Working Groups (The Vis Lab has a patio that has been used)

1100 – 1200    Reconvene

1200 – 1330    Lunch and Next steps

 

 

 

 

 

 

Appendix 2

List of Attendees

20 September 2004

Attendee

Institution

e-mail address

Peter Arzberger

UCSD

parzberg@ucsd.edu

Tim Kratz

U Wisconsin, North Temperate Lakes LTER, Trout Lake Station

tkkratz@wisc.edu

Ian Atkinson

High Performance Comp. James Cook University

Ian.Atkinson@jcu.edu.au

Hans-Werner Braun

UCSD/SDSC

hwb@nlanr.net

Andy Brooks

UCSB

brooks@lifesci.ucsb.edu

David Caron

USC

dcaron@usc.edu

William Chang

NSF

wychang@nsf.gov

Neil Cotofana

SDSC

neil@sdsc.edu

Longjiang Ding

UCSD

ljding@sdsc.edu

Deborah Estrin

UCLA

destrin@cs.ucla.edu

Tony Fountain

UCSD

fountain@sdsc.edu

Amarnath Gupta

UCSD/SDSC

gupta@sdsc.edu

David Hamilton (vtc)

U Waikato, New Zealand

davidh@waikato.ac.nz

Todd Hansen

UCSD/SIO

tshansen@sdsc.edu

Sally Holbrook

UCSB/

holbrook@lifesci.ucsb.edu

Grace Hong

NCHC

gswhong@nchc.org.tw

Ronald A. Iltis

UCSB

iltis@ece.ucsb.edu

Ryan Kastner

UCSB

kastner@ece.ucsb.edu

Stuart Kininmonth

Australian Institute of Marine Science

s.kininmonth@aims.gov.au

Hua Lee

UCSB

hualee@ece.ucsb.edu

Fang-Pang Lin

National Center for High-Performance Computing, (NCHC) Taiwan

c00fpl00@nchc.org.tw

Rick McMullen

Indiana University

mcmullen@indiana.edu

John Orcutt

SIO

jorcutt@ucsd.edu

Jim Omura

Moore Foundation

Jim.Omura@moore.org

Arcot Rajasekar

UCSD/SDSC

sekar@sdsc.edu

Volkan Rodoplu

UCSB

vrodoplu@ece.ucsb.edu

Eloise Ryan (vtc)

U Waikato, New Zealand

efr@waikato.ac.nz

Russ Schmitt

UCSB

schmitt@lifesci.ucsb.edu

Brandon Smith

UCSD

bjsmith@ucsd.edu

Karen Stocks

UCSD/SDSC

stocks@sdsc.edu

Frank Vernon

UCSD/SIO

flvernon@ucsd.edu