MidSN – A Middleware for Uniform Configuration and Processing over Heterogeneous Sensor and Actuator Networks

Abstract

Applications for Sensor and Actuator Networks (SANs) are being spread to areas in which easy configuration by non-programmers will enhance acceptance, and also contexts where reconfiguration is needed during the application lifespan. Wireless SAN (WSAN) may include wired or wireless devices, computers and control stations arranged in a heterogeneous distributed system. Instead of assuming that embedded device nodes (e.g. a TelosB mote) and control station(s) (e.g. computers running Linux) are disparate entities with their own programming and processing model, it should be viewed as a single heterogeneous distributed system, offering more uniformity, simplicity and flexibility. In this paper we propose MidSN - an approach to hide heterogeneity and offer a single common configuration and processing component for all nodes of that heterogeneous system. This advances the current state-of-the-art, by providing a lego-like model whereby a single simple but powerful component is deployed in any node regardless of its underlying differences and the system is able to remotely configure and process data in any node in a most flexible way, since every node (including for instance computer nodes) has the same uniform API, processing and access functionalities.