Deploying a sensor network in an extreme environment

Abstract

A wireless sensor network has been designed and deployed to gather data from nodes deployed inside glaciers. This paper describes the solutions to power management, radio communications and other challenges faced in the system together with a discussion of the performance of the final system. 18 months of data have now been received, which provide an insight not only into the glacier's behaviour but also into the design decisions. The system uses custom PIC-based sensor nodes and an ARM-based base station which controls weather and differential GPS. Different versions have been installed in Norway from 2003-5 and this paper describes the lessons learnt from coping with the extreme conditions that of glaciers.