Faculty of Computer and Information
Sciences
Information Technology Department
Wireless Sensor Networks
(WSN)
IT 433T
By Dr. Nagwan Abdel Samee
Lecture #1: Introduction to
Wireless Sensor Networks
Introduction to Wireless
Sensor Networks (WSNs)
❑ A sensor network is a wireless network that consists of
thousands of very small nodes called sensors.
Figure 1: Architecture of wireless sensor networks
Introduction to Wireless Sensor
Networks (WSNs) (cont.)
❑ WSN Sensors are equipped with sensing, limited
computation, and wireless communication capabilities.
Figure 2: Typical hardware components of a sensor node in wireless sensor networks
Introduction to Wireless Sensor
Networks (WSNs) (cont.)
➢ Wireless Sensor Networks are networks that consists
of sensors which are distributed in an ad hoc manner
➢ These sensors work with each other to sense some
physical phenomenon and then the information
gathered is processed to get relevant results.
➢ Wireless sensor networks consists of protocols and
algorithms with self-organizing capabilities
Introduction to Wireless Sensor
Networks (WSNs) (cont.)
Comparison with ad hoc networks:
➢ Wireless sensor networks mainly use broadcast
communication while ad hoc networks use point-to-
point communication.
➢ Unlike ad hoc networks wireless sensor networks are
limited by sensors limited power, energy and
computational capability.
➢ Sensor nodes may not have global ID because of
the large amount of overhead and large number of
sensors
Introduction to Wireless
Sensor Networks (WSNs)
❑Ad hoc vs. WSNs
Ad Hoc Networks Sensor Networks
WSNs Applications
▪ WSNs have many advantages over traditional
networking techniques.
▪ They have an ever-increasing number of
applications, such as infrastructure protection and
security, surveillance, health-care, environment
monitoring, food safety, intelligent transportation, and
smart energy.
WSNs Applications
(cont.)
10 Figure 4: WSNs Applications
WSNs Applications (Cont.)
❖ Telemetry (Temperature, Humidity, Pressure, light
Sound Vibration , …many others)
❖ Security systems (Surveillance Intrusion detection)
❖ Medical systems (Monitoring Heart rate, Pressure,
EKG, oxygen saturation, etc.)
❖ Underwater sensing (Navigation ,Water quality
and chemical analysis)
Military applications (Anti-terrorists security , Boarder control
On body sensor networks for soldiers)
❖ … many others
WSNs Applications (Cont.)
WSNs Applications (Cont.)
The applications can be divided in three
categories:
1. Monitoring of objects.
2. Monitoring of an area.
3. Monitoring of both area and objects.
WSNs Applications (Cont.)
Monitoring Object:
• Structural Monitoring
• Eco-physiology
• Condition-based Maintenance
• Medical Diagnostics
• Urban terrain mapping
WSNs Applications (Cont.)
Monitoring Object: (Example: Condition-based
Maintenance)
Intel fabrication plants
➢ Sensors collect vibration data, monitor
wear and tear; report data in real-time
➢ Reduces need for a team of engineers;
cutting costs by several orders of
magnitude
WSNs Applications (Cont.)
Monitoring an Area:
• Environmental and Habitat Monitoring
• Precision Agriculture
• Indoor Climate Control
• Military Surveillance
• Treaty Verification
• Intelligent Alarms
WSNs Applications (Cont.)
Monitoring an Area: (Example: Precision Agriculture)
➢ Precision agriculture aims at making cultural
operations more efficient, while reducing
environmental impact .
➢ The information collected from sensors is used to
evaluate optimum sowing density, estimate
fertilizers and other inputs needs, and to more
accurately predict crop yields.
WSNs Applications (Cont.)
Monitoring of both an Area and Object:
• Wildlife Habitats
• Disaster Management
• Emergency Response
• Ubiquitous Computing
• Asset Tracking
• Health Care
• Manufacturing Process Flows
WSNs Applications (Cont.)
Monitoring of both an Area and Object: (Example:
Habitat Monitoring)
The Zebra Net Project
Collar-mounted sensors monitor zebra movement
in Kenya.
Characteristics of Wireless
Sensor Networks
🞂WirelessSensor Networks mainly consists of sensors.
Sensors are -
🞂 low power
🞂 limited memory
🞂 energy constrained due to their small size.
🞂Wirelessnetworks can also be deployed in extreme
environmental conditions and may be prone to enemy
attacks.
🞂Althoughdeployed in an ad hoc manner they need to be self
organized and self healing and can face constant
reconfiguration.
Design Challenges of Wireless
Sensor Networks
🞂 Heterogeneity
🞂The devices deployed maybe of various types and need to
collaborate with each other.
🞂 Distributed Processing
🞂The algorithms need to be centralized as the processing is
carried out on different nodes.
🞂 Low Bandwidth Communication
🞂 The data should be transferred efficiently between
sensors
.
Design Challenges of Wireless
Sensor Networks (Cont.)
🞂 Large Scale Coordination
🞂Thesensors need to coordinate with each other to
produce required results.
🞂 Utilization of Sensors
🞂The
sensors should be utilized in a ways that produce the
maximum performance and use less energy.
🞂 Real Time Computation
🞂Thecomputation should be done quickly as new data is
always being generated.
Sensors’Technology
The technology for sensing and control includes:
🞑 electric and magnetic field sensors;
🞑 radio-wave frequency sensors;
🞑 optical-, electrooptic-, and infrared sensors;
🞑 radars;
🞑 lasers;
🞑 location/navigation sensors;
🞑 seismic and pressure-wave sensors;
🞑 environmental parameter sensors (e.g., wind,
humidity, heat); and
🞑 biochemical national security–oriented sensors.
Future of WSN
Smart Home / Smart Office
🞂 Sensors controlling electrical devices in the
house.
🞂 Better lighting and heating in office buildings.
🞂 The Pentagon building has used sensors
extensively
Future of WSN (Cont.)
Biomedical / Medical
🞂 Health Monitors
🞂 Glucose
🞂 Heart rate
🞂 Cancer detection
🞂 Chronic Diseases
🞂 Artificial retina
🞂 Cochlear implants
🞂 Hospital Sensors
🞂 Monitor vital signs
🞂 Record anomalies
Future of WSN (Cont.)
Military
Remote deployment of sensors for tactical monitoring
of enemy troop movements
Future of WSN (Cont.)
Traffic Management &Monitoring
Future cars could use wireless sensors to:
⚫ Handle Accidents
⚫ Handle Thefts
✓ Sensors embedded in the roads to:
–Monitor traffic flows
–Provide real-time route updates
Future of WSN (Cont.)
Industrial & Commercial
🞂 Numerous industrial and commercial
applications:
🞂 Agricultural Crop Conditions
🞂 Inventory Tracking
🞂 In-Process Parts Tracking
🞂 Automated Problem Reporting
🞂 Theft Deterrent and Customer Tracing
🞂 Plant Equipment Maintenance Monitoring
Table of References
Source
[Link]
[Link]/~jie/teaching/fall_2004_files/[Link]
[Link]
[Link]
[Link]
[Link]/~maspohn/katia/[Link]
[Link]
[Link]
Reference Book
“A Complete Guide to Wireless Sensor Networks from Inception to
Current Trends”, CRC Press, 1st Edition, 2022
Link to the electronic source of the book : [Link]
Complete-Guide-to-Wireless-Sensor-Networks-from-Inception-to-
Current-Trends/Dumka-Chaurasiya-Biswas-
Mandoria/p/book/9781032401416?srsltid=AfmBOorHvJxo8wdRZBLtyNo
ButGubW9ZUT6yThNclGKtnR-HLYRvtk5H
Thank You