Wireless Sensor Networks : Technology, Protocols, and Applications

RANGE OF APPLICATIONS 49
expect with the deployment of such a sensor network. Some pragmatists believe that
WSN applications represent the next step in the evolution of sensor networking
science, which so far has focused on research-level problems rather than on meeting
business needs directly on a large scale [2.13–2.15]. Business establishments have
already shown interest in sensor technology. For example, insurance companies
have reportedly expressed interest in using sensors in chimneys to monitor the
creosote buildup, with the goal of minimizing fire hazards; there also has been
interest in monitoring the temperature of water pipes with the goal of preventing
ice damage. The motivation for these applications is to reduce losses and related
disbursements [2.22].
Consumer applications include, but are not limited to, critical infrastructure protection
and security, health care, the environment, energy, food safety, production
processing, and quality-of-life support [2.23]. WSNs are expected to afford consumers
a new set of conveniences, including remote-controlled home heating and lighting,
personal health diagnosis, and automated automobile maintenance telemetry, to
list just a few. Near-term commercial applications include, but are not limited to,
industrial and building monitoring, appliance control (lighting and HVAC), automotive
sensors and actuators, home automation, automatic meter reading, electricity
load management, consumer electronics and entertainment, and asset management.
Specifically, these applications fall into the following categories:
Commercial building control
Environmental (land, air, sea) and agricultural wireless sensors
Home automation, including alarms (e.g., an alarm sensor that triggers a call
to a security firm)
National security applications: chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear
wireless sensors (sensors for toxic chemicals, explosives, and biological
agents)
Industrial monitoring and control
Metropolitan operations (traffic, automatic tolls, fire, etc.)
Military sensors
Process control
Wireless automated meter reading and load management
Observers expect that in the medium term, one will be able to integrate sensors
into commercial products and systems to improve the performance and lifetime of a
variety of devices while decreasing product life-cycle costs. The ultimate expectation
is that eventually, WSNs will enable consumers to keep track of their belongings,
pets, and young children (called quality-of-life support) [2.23]. Anywhere
there is a need to connect large numbers of sensors, the approach of using WSNs
with some well-established local and metropolitan area technology (e.g., IEEE
802.11/.15/.16) makes economic sense [2.15].
Sensor networking is also seen in the context of pervasive computing. The terms
invisible computing, pervasive computing, and ubiquitous computing are used by