WRENSys: Large-scale, rapid deployable mobile sensing system

We present WRENSys, a system that allows for a low cost, rapidly deployable, large-scale and easy to maintain wireless mobile network, with minimal subject interference, to study contact networks of a population. We discuss our experiences with several hardware designs, including our new WREN sensor, base stations for charging and programming 2000 motes in parallel, software applications, and our deployment experiences and results. We deployed the system at 26 different locations with an average of 500 participants per school, the largest having more than 1,500 sensors, resulting in 35 million contact data points. On average, our system required only 30 minutes of preparation time and 30 minutes of deployment time with one graduate student and two additional personnel. Our system allowed for contact networks with coverages at approximately 80%. This shows a sustainable platform for studying human contact networks.