WASP - Wirelessly Accessible Sensor Populations

Constructing highly optimized applications on large populations of collaborating objects Targeting the field of wireless sensor networks, the goal of the WASP project is to provide architectural solutions for large populations of communicating embedded systems. In addition to the interactions between the sensor nodes themselves, the project also focuses on methods to embed sensor nodes into a surrounding computing infrastructure. The goal is to make the sensors accessible from stationary computers and mobile phones, as well as to allow embedded systems to exploit the capabilities of nearby computing devices dynamically.

In this context, the project—in cooperation with industrial partners such as Philips and SAP— aims to narrow the gap between the academic results of recent sensor network research and real-life applications. To achieve this goal, WASP covers basic hardware development processes (led by Philips), software platforms for the sensor nodes, communications protocols, services (led by the European Microsoft Innovation Center - EMIC), and different application scenarios.

The applications were chosen such that they cover a broad range of different use cases for sensors—from eHealth applications and scenarios for road and traffic control to applications in agriculture. For each of these scenarios, leading academic and industrial partners participate in the project.

As a large Integrated Project, WASP is a major effort of the European Commission in the field of wirelessly communicating embedded systems and its applications. Nineteen partners participate in the WASP consortium. With an overall contribution of around 1,400 man months, it is supported by the European Commission with approximately €10 million. Among the partners are Philips (leader of the proposal), SAP, Fiat, IMEC, and a number of leading institutions from academia.

The contribution of the European Microsoft Innovation Center (EMIC):

As one of the five work package leaders, the European Microsoft Innovation Center (EMIC) has a leading role in the WASP project and is responsible for the Services work package.

Considering recent work by Microsoft Research, this is in line with the overall Microsoft strategy in the field of communicating embedded systems.

The main goals of the European Microsoft Innovation Center in the project are:

• Lead the project’s efforts related to services
• Find ways to integrate sensor nodes into the surrounding computing infrastructure dynamically
• Allow sensor nodes to exploit the capabilities of nearby computing devices in an ad-hoc fashion
• Make it easier for programmers to use sensor nodes
• Design a programming model that allows developers to abstract from the low-level computational and communications-related issues in sensor networks
• Investigate the needs of developers in the sensor network domain based on the applications considered in the project (eHealth, traffic control, and agriculture)

For more information, visit the project’s Web site at:
http://www.wasp-project.org/