Mobile Sensing Systems: From ecosystems to human systems

Abstract:

Miniaturization and Moore's law enabled us to combine sensing, computation and wireless communication in integrated, low-power devices, and to embed networks of these devices in the physical world. By placing sensing devices up close to the physical phenomena we have been able to study details in space and time that were previously unobservable. Looking back over the past few years have made significant progress toward the vision of programmable, distributed sensing systems by using: judicious application of server-side and in situ processing, human in the loop as well as automated systems, mobility at multiple scales, and data and models as context for in situ measurements,. We are now applying these lessons learned and technical approaches to human as well as natural systems, in particular by exploring use of the installed base of image, acoustic, location, activity sensors that we all carry around in our pockets or on our belts-mobile phones. This talk will present work in progress and lessons learned from several prototype applications and system being explored at The NSF Science and Technology Center for Embedded Networked Sensing (CENS). §§§

Bio: Deborah Estrin

Deborah Estrin is a  Professor of Computer Science and Electrical Engineering at UCLA, holds the Jon Postel Chair in Computer Networks, and is Founding Director of the National Science Foundation funded Center for Embedded Networked Sensing (CENS). CENS' mission is to explore and develop innovative, end-to-end, distributed sensing systems, across an array of applications, from ecosystems to human systems. Since the late 90's Estrin's work has focused on multi-disciplinary, experimental-systems research as applied to a variety of environmental monitoring challenges. Most recently this work includes mobile personal sensing systems, leveraging the location, acoustic, image, and attached-sensor data streams increasingly available globally from mobile phones. Previously, Estrin's research addressed Internet protocol design and scaling, in particular, inter-domain and multicast routing. She received her PhD in 1985 from MIT and her BS in 1980 from UC Berkeley, both in EECS.

Estrin currently serves on the National Research Council's Computer Science and Telecommunications Board (CSTB) and TTI/Vanguard Advisory Board, and was previously a member of the NSF National Ecological Observatory Network (NEON) Advisory board, the NSF CISE Advisory Committee, and DARPA-ISAT. Estrin was selected as the first ACM-W Athena Lecturer in 2006, was awarded the Anita Borg Institute's Women of Vision Award for Innovation in 2007, and was inducted as a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 2007. She is a fellow of the IEEE, ACM, and AAAS. 

*For individual meeting time with speaker, please contact Iesha McGhee at x8241.  If you are coming from outside of NSF, please email me at imcghee@nsf.gov so that I can add you to our visitor system (no later than Friday, Jan. 30^th).

Host:  John Cozzens

            jcozzens@nsf.gov