Design and topology of the Osborn Sensor Network

The SSU Preserves' environmental sensor networks are sensor-to-screen systems developed and maintained by students. Students design sensors, wireless connections, data transfer protocols, and data presentation. This series of studies focuses on identifying the best locations for the communication tower network at the Fairfield Osborn Preserve. 

Barloga et al 2019: Fairfield Osborn Preserve would benefit greatly from the addition of a new microwave tower. A new tower would improve the efficiency of the preserve’s wireless communications. The microwave tower must be located in an area that is not affected by interference from factors such as large foliage, metal, or plastic. We identified the best location for a new microwave tower by measuring signal strength at five locations on the Osborn Preserve: the ridge, the lookout point, the meadow, the marsh, and one more near the ridge. We also recorded elevation, canopy cover, and degree of view at each of the five sites. 

Giovanelli et al 2019: We assessed two possible sites at the Fairfield Osborn Preserve to determine the best location to install a fire detection camera.

Burns et al 2019: To identify the best location to place a new microwave tower at the Osborn Preserve, we visited three potential locations to observe the environment and visibility.

Guan Sen 2012: Sensors networks are an emerging field in the environmental sciences. As part of a Master's Thesis, Sen Guan proposed a preserve network with comprises three types of nodes: Controller Node, Intermediate Node, and End Node. The Controller Node has a wired Internet access and is in charge of data roaming. The other two nodes can be set in the field to extend the wireless signal coverage. There is no AC power resource outside the Osobrn building and the intermediate and end nodes are powered by the same solar power system. Besides the hardware design, this paper also introduces some fundamental theories for the WLAN characterizations, radio wave propagation, antenna principle, environmental impacts of signal attenuation, and the solar power system. The last part of the paper includes some experimental testing results and analysis. Through experimental measurements, we demonstrate that the modified indoor network devices can be effective alternatives for the expensive outdoor devices in an outdoor WLAN design. By increasing the transmit power and antenna height, the FOPW design overcomes the huge path loss due to foliage. We also evaluate the performance of FOPW under different weather conditions.