Considerations in Establishing Environmental Sensor Networks

Collecting real-time data at appropriate temporal and spatial scales is critical to understanding complex environmental processes. The emerging generation of ´smart´ sensors opens up a range of opportunities for automated intelligent monitoring of natural systems. Scientific research and engineering development, requiring extensive cross disciplinary collaboration, is extending the existing monitoring in areas as diverse as marine, rainforest, riparian, lakes, agricultural environments. However the deployment of small energy efficient computers into a dynamic and often hostile situations requires careful planning, redundancy and robust designs. The data itself will contain more noise from an organic environment than an anthropogenic environment and be difficult to interpret statistically but the benefits are likely to alter the method that managers and researchers will interact with the environment. This paper explores the development status and directions of sensor networks designed specifically for environmental monitoring.