Platform based design for wireless sensor networks

The platform-based design (PBD) methodology we present has its foundations in a clear definition of the different abstraction layers of a wireless sensor network (WSN). At the application layer, we introduce the sensor network service platform that allows the user to describe the application independently from the network architecture. This functional description is then mapped into an instance of the sensor network implementation platform. These two layers of abstraction are the basis for the design methodology. An essential feature of the methodology is the capability of defining the design as a refinement process between contiguous layers that is based on synthesis given the existence of a formal definition of the layers of abstraction. We present a framework, called Rialto, which translates application specifications into network constraints. Furthermore, we present a synthesis engine, called Genesis, that starting from these constraints and an abstraction of the hardware platform performance generates a topology and a communication protocol that satisfy constraints and optimizes energy consumption. We present a case study that shows how the methodology covers all the aspects of the design process, from conceptual description to implementation.