4. DESIGN SPACE AND FUTURE DIRECTIONS

Research on collaborative sensor networks is an emerging field attracting more and more attentions. In this section, we discuss the design space of collaborative sensor networks, in the order from underlying sensor networks to application level services. We also point out some critical issues as future research directions.

4.1 Formalization and Description of Sensor Networks

Interoperability is a feature that distinguishes collaborative sensor networks from traditional sensor networks. Heterogeneous sensors are encompassed in an integrated system. Thus a uniform framework describing sensor networks is necessary to facilitate their collaborations. Essential properties, such as sensor type, data attributes, energy, and communication protocols, should be formalized so that we can support efficient information sharing among sensor networks, as well as standardized querying interfaces for the application users.