Dynamic Resource Discovery for Sensor Networks

As sensor networks mature the current generation of sensor networks that are application-specific and exposed only to a limited set of users will give way to heterogeneous sensor networks that are used dynamically by users that need them. The available sensors are likely to be dynamic (e.g., due to mobility) and heterogeneous in terms of their capabilities and software elements. They may provide different types of services and allow different configurability and access. A critical component in realizing such a vision is dynamic resource discovery. In this paper, we develop a resource discovery protocol for sensor networks, outline some of the challenges involved, and explore solutions to some of the most important ones. Specifically, we first discuss the problem of what resources to track and at what granularity: in addition to the individual sensor capabilities, some resources and services are associated with sensor networks as a whole, or with regions within the network. We also consider the design of the resource discovery protocol, and the inherent tradeoff between interoperability and energy efficiency.