SenShare: Transforming Sensor Networks into Multi-application Sensing Infrastructures

Sensor networks are typically purpose-built, designed to support a single running application. As the demand for applications that can harness the capabilities of a sensor-rich environment increases, and the availability of sensing infrastructure put in place to monitor various quantities soars, there are clear benefits in a model where infrastructure can be shared amongst multiple applications. This model however introduces many challenges, mainly related to the management of the communication of the same application running on different network nodes, and the isolation of applications within the network. In this work we present SenShare, a platform that attempts to address the technical challenges in transforming sensor networks into open access infrastructures capable of supporting multiple co-running applications. SenShare provides a clear decoupling between the infrastructure and the running application, building on the concept of overlay networks. Each application operates in an isolated environment consisting of an in-node hardware abstraction layer, and a dedicated overlay sensor network. We further report on the deployment of SenShare within our building, which presently supports the operation of multiple sensing applications, including office occupancy monitoring and environmental monitoring.