Monitoring dynamic spatial fields using responsive geosensor networks

Information about dynamic spatial fields, such as temperature, windspeed, or the concentration of gas pollutant in the air, is important for many environmental applications. At the same time, the development of geosensor networks (wirelessly communicating, sensor-enabled, small computing devices distributed throughout a geographic environment) present new opportunities for monitoring dynamic spatial fields in much greater detail than ever before. This paper develops a new model for querying information about dynamic spatial fields using geosensor networks. In order to manage the inherent complexity of dynamic geographic phenomena, our approach is to focus on the qualitative representation of spatial entities, like regions, boundaries, and holes, and of events, like splitting, merging, appearance, and disappearance. Based on combinatorial maps, we present a qualitative model as the underlying data management paradigm for geosensor networks. This model is capable of tracking salient cha...

• Type: Conference
• Year: 2005
• Where: GIS
• Authors: Matt Duckham, Silvia Nittel, Michael F. Worboys
• Keywords: Database, Dynamic Geographic Phenomena, Dynamic Spatial Fields, GIS 2005, Sensor Network Granularity