A Composition-Based Approach to the Construction and Dynamic Reconfiguration of Wireless Sensor Network Applications
Dharini Balasubramaniam1
, Alan Dearle1
and Ron Morrison1 
| (1) |
School of Computer Science, University of St Andrews, St Andrews, KY16 9SX, UK |
Abstract
Wireless sensor network (WSN) applications are often characterised by close coupling between their software and hardware components,
which may result in ad-hoc, platform-specific software, together with the loss of portability and evolvability. We introduce
a fractal composition-based approach for constructing and dynamically reconfiguring WSN applications. The approach uses π-calculus semantics to unify the models of interaction for both software and hardware components, on both local and remote
nodes. Applications are constructed by forming compositions of interacting components, and can be decomposed and reconfigured
into different topologies. The advantages of the approach are that it reduces the complexity of WSN programming; results in
portable and evolvable software; and allows changes to be managed during execution without having to take the system off-line.
We present an outline of the approach, and illustrate it with an example specified in the Insense language.
Keywords channel - component - composition - decomposition - dynamic evolution - reconfiguration - wireless sensor network
References secured to subscribers.