A macroscope in the redwoods

• DOI: 10.1145/1098918.1098925
• Publication Date: 2006-02-06T15:52:40Z
• Authors: Gilman Tolle; Joseph Polastre; Robert Szewczyk; David Culler; Neil Turner; Kevin Tu; Stephen Burgess; Todd Dawson; Phil Buonadonna; David Gay; Wei Hong
• Keywords: 0202 electrical engineering, electronic engineering, information engineering; 02 engineering and technology; 15. Life on land

The wireless sensor network "macroscope" offers the potential to advance science by enabling dense temporal and spatial monitoring of large physical volumes. This paper presents a case study of a wireless sensor network that recorded 44 days in the life of a 70-meter tall redwood tree, at a density of every 5 minutes in time and every 2 meters in space. Each node measured air temperature, relative humidity, and photosynthetically active solar radiation. The network captured a detailed picture of the complex spatial variation and temporal dynamics of the microclimate surrounding a coastal redwood tree. This paper describes the deployed network and then employs a multi-dimensional analysis methodology to reveal trends and gradients in this large and previously-unobtainable dataset. An analysis of system performance data is then performed, suggesting lessons for future deployments.