ECE 902 - Special Topics in Computers - Networked Embedded Systems

Fall 2004

Seapahn Megerian
megerian@ece.wisc.edu

Capsule Statement of Course Content:  

Study of system design, analysis, and implementation issues for large scale networked embedded systems. Main focus is on wireless autonomous sensing networks and the underlying protocols for ad hoc networking, sensing, optimization, self organization, and management.


Course Description:

Large scale networked embedded systems are an emerging class of embedded systems fueled by miniaturization, wide scale integration, and wireless communication technologies. The applications of such systems range from distributed control and actuation systems, monitoring and surveillance systems, and enabling technologies for ubiquitous and proactive computing paradigms. While these systems still face many traditional system building challenges, they pose a number of new issues that are critical in realizing practical systems. The recent flurry of research activities in this domain has resulted in the emergence of a rich body of literature, experimental hardware and software platforms, as well as a number of driving applications for their use. In this class we will look at a number of system level design issues and the existing and potential approaches for tackling the new problems. The covered issues include but are not limited to topics such as platforms, ad hoc networking, localization, autonomous sensor calibration, time synchronization, power management, collaborative signal processing and optimization, data fusion, storage, coverage, and security.  


Course Outline:

1) Introductions and course overview
2) Application specific embedded systems
3) Distributed embedded systems and sensor networks
4) Platforms 
  a) Power issues 
  b) Communication subsystems
  c) Storage and processing
  d) Sensors and actuators
  e) MEMs
  
5) Wireless Communication 
  a) Physical layer and Data Link
  b) Medium Access Control
  c) Broadcast and data dissemination
  
6) Location awareness and localization
  a) Localization fundamentals
  b) Currently proposed schemes
  c) Distributed localization
  
7) Time synchronization

8) Ad Hoc Networking 
  a) Discovery and routing 
  b) Topology formation
  c) Clustering
  d) Directed Diffusion
  
9) Sensor based systems
  a) Sensor coverage
  b) Data fusion
  c) Information processing
  d) Sensor calibration
  
10) Application case studies
  a) Target detection and tracking
  b) Environment monitoring

11) Planning and Deployment

12) Reliability and fault tolerance



Grading:

1) Homeworks: 20%
2) Exams: 40%
3) Projects: 40%

The material in class will be based on a number of published research papers and articles. Homeworks, exams, and projects will include quantitative analysis and system design related problems as well as surveys and critiques of the papers assigned in class. Active class participation and discussions will be strongly encouraged.

Preliminary links to reading lists:

http://www.cs.berkeley.edu/~culler/cs294-f03/
http://www.cens.ucla.edu/CS213/
http://www.research.rutgers.edu/~mini/sensornetworks.html