Dynamic and Heterogeneous Wireless Sensor Networks for Virtual Instrumentation Services: Application to Perishable Goods Surveillance

Wireless sensor networks (WSNs) have gained an increasing interest in logistic applications. In this paper, we propose a universal hardware and software architecture to measure environmental variables in a dynamic heterogeneous plug-and-play WSN. In this framework the physical structure of the WSN is automatically and transparently generated from the final user. Each node of the WSN communicates through a middle level configurable service-oriented layer. Composition of these services defines high-level virtual instruments for the final user. The proposed WSN is able to configure dynamically these virtual links to achieve the user requirements. The reported strategy is aimed at giving support to collaborative systems, e.g. stock management, intelligent machinery, etc, performing their commanded tasks within indoor environments. To demonstrate the applicability of the proposed method, the paper presents a particular implementation of the described architecture in an intelligent transportation system where both surveillance and control tasks of perishable goods are required.