Sentire: A Framework for Building
Middleware for Sensor and
Actuator Networks
IEEE PerCom 2005 – PerSeNS Workshop
Kauai Island, Hawaii March 8-12, 2005
Joel W. Branch
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute – Troy, NY
John Davis, Daby Sow, and Chatschik Bisdikian
IBM T.J. Watson Research Center – Hawthorne, NY
Abstract
• Sentire (latin, to sense)
describes a framework for
composing extensible
middleware for sensor and
actuator networks (SANETs)
• This presentation…
• Introduces our on-going research
in developing a methodology and
tools for SANET middleware
development
• Describes a demonstration of
SANET middleware development
using Sentire
IEEE PerCom – PerSeNS 2005
Application(s)
Sentire middleware
SANET
SANET
Signal landscape
SANET
S.L.
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Introduction
Control distribution
Centralized Decentralized
Scaling up SANET-related systems
Plant process
control
Automated
factories
Habitat
monitoring
Networked cities
Tomorrow
Instrumented
farm
Today
Smart
buildings
Autos
Adaptive traffic
control
Asset
tracking
Security systems
1-1000
1000-10M
Number of embedded devices
>10M
Trend points to increasing number of devices and decentralization
* Figure reproduced from [Zhao2004]
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Introduction
“Reaching tomorrow” – Research motivation
SANET application
development
- Shield application
developers from writing complex and
custom code for multiple platforms
SANET middleware
development standard
- Supports large scale development
- Supports extensibility, reusability, and
interoperability
SANET requirements
- Resource management
- Network management
- Data management
- Supports SANET integration
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The Sentire approach
Overview
Objectives
1. Introduce software development framework for
extensible SANET middleware development
– Different from middleware instantiations [Yu2004,
Heinzelman2004]
2. Partition middleware development into logically
related sub-tasks
3. Facilitate applications’ use of integrated,
heterogeneous sensor and actuator-enabled
systems
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The Sentire approach
Overview
Current components
SANET application(s)
• Centralized componentinteraction model
• Managers
• Messages
Query results,
Admit/reject decisions
Sentire
framework
Queries,
Device instructions
Interface manager
Current assumptions
Admit/reject
decisions
Query results
• Direct-transmission (1-hop)
networks
• Middleware residing on
edge-servers, stargates,
etc.
Queries
Data manager
Device instr.
Queries
Device
instructions
Sensor manager
Actuator manager
Resource manager
Sensor data
Queries,
Device instructions
Resource data
Sensor
Sensorand
and
actuator
network(s)
actuator network(s)
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The Sentire approach
Framework
Managers
• Interface manager
– Funnels application queries and instructions to
appropriate managers
– Provides initial layer of query/instruction filtering via
developer-defined admit/reject policies
• Sensor and actuator managers
– Controls sensor and actuator device behavior
• Influences both the quality of sensed information and
adjustments to the environment
• Adjusts resource usage
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The Sentire approach
Framework
Managers (cont.)
• Resource manager
– Implements service registration of SANETs
– Tracks SANET resource usage (e.g., energy,
bandwidth)
– Supports other managers in their policy-based
decisions
• Data manager
– Embodies develop-defined data processing routines
(e.g., event detection, data cleaning, etc.)
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The Sentire approach
Framework
Messages
“Publish-subscribe” used for inter-manager communication
• Application and Sentire query headers
– Priority
– Data type
– Query type (e.g., single query, subscription, event notification)
• Data source response headers
– Corresponding query ID
– Data type
• Customizable XML payload structures
– Promotes flexible message attributes and data payloads
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The Sentire approach
Framework
Application 1
Priority=1, Data_type=Movement, Query_Type=1_time
Location=North_walkway, Object=people, Metric=Quantity, Quality=low
Sentire middleware
From sensor manager
Query_ID=1_1234, Priority=1, Data_type=Audio, Query_Type=1_time
Location=N_h, Object=P, Metric=Quantity, Sensors=1,3
SANET
SANET
Signal landscape
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Sentire demonstration
Collaborative sensing
RCX
brick
SANET
gateway
Implemented using Sentire
and LEGO® MindstormsTM
hardware [LEGO]
SANET
middleware
Legacy
network
Low-energy
motion detector
High-energy
light sensor
Target
Zone 1
LED
Zone 2
1. The motion detector
monitors for vehicle
movement in 2 zones
2. Upon detected movement
in a zone, re-bind to the
zone’s respective light
sensor
3. If light is detected, the
zone’s respective LED
powers on.
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Sentire demonstration
Collaborative sensing
Sentire operation details
RCX
brick
SANET
gateway
SANET
middleware
1. Interface manager
requests event notification
from sensor manager
2. Sensor manager
decomposes request to
utilize available sensors
Legacy
network
Low-energy
motion detector
High-energy
light sensor
Target
Zone 1
LED
Zone 2
•
Checks resource manager
for permission
3. Data manager verifies the
event and triggers
actuation manager to
activate appropriate LED
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Conclusion
Research progress
Current progress
• Middleware methodology for facilitating applications’
interaction with integrated sense-and-respond system
Future work
• Extend methodology for “closed-loop” sensoractuator interaction
• Distribute Sentire functionality
– Coordinate multiple edge-servers, etc.
– Distribute framework to the device level
PerSeNS 2005
Research timeline
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Conclusion
References
W. B. Heinzelman, A. L. Murphy, H. S. Carvalho, and
M. A. Perillo. “Middleware to support sensor network
applications,” IEEE Network Magazine, Jan 2004.
LEGO.com Mindstorms Home,
http://www.legomindstorms.com
Y. Yu, B. Krishnamachari, and V. K. Prasanna. “Issues
of designing middleware for wireless sensor
networks,” IEEE Network Magazine, Jan 2004.
F. Zhao and L. Guibas. Wireless Sensor Networks: An
Information Processing Approach, Elsevier, 2004.
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Conclusion
Thank you
“Your questions
please”
Acknowledgements
Ron Ambrosio, Paul Castro, Norman Cohen, Maria Ebling, Archan Misra, Mark Yao
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