SoSNET – A Communication Network for Emergency Situations

The SoSNET project aims to build a Wireless Sensor Network platform to assist in emergencies and particularly suited for realtime, reliable detection and transmission of seismological and structural health data. There are several wireless sensing solutions for both structural assessment and seismic surveillance, however none benefit from the advantages of joining both “worlds”. The goal of SoSNET is to provide access to structural integrity and seismic data through the same network. WSNs have gained popularity in civil engineering due to their ease-of-deployment when compared to traditional wired systems, allowing previously inaccessible areas to be surveyed. However, today’s WSNs still face many challenges, preventing them from being widely used. This work analyzes some of these problems and discusses several network and MAC-layer solutions to overcome them.