Middleware integration for ubiquitous sensor networks in agriculture

This paper first presents our framework architecture of ubiquitous sensor networks for agricultural and livestock farms, and then designs integrative middleware capable of efficiently managing the interaction between sensors and sensor applications. For the sensor network platform now under integration test, a block-level error recovery scheme is proposed to cope with the burst error pattern in wireless communication channels. The server-side middleware sends per-block acknowledgment packets, while sensors summarize the unacknowledged block and then transmit the summary when the connection gets reachable again. The block size and other summarization parameters are decided on the stream establishment. For operator control supports, two communication paths are established, one between remote PCs and embedded control boxes via TCP/IP connections, and the other between mobile terminals and smart motes via cellular network connections. Our middleware design can contribute to improving the reliability and correctness of sensor data processing by systematically coordinating interactions between all components involved in ubiquitous sensor networks.