Pervasive Mobile Environmental Sensor Grids

Lead Research Organisation: Newcastle University
Department Name: Civil Engineering and Geosciences

Abstract

The impact of road traffic on local air quality is a major public policy concern and has stimulated a substantial body of researchaimed at improving underlying vehicle and traffic management technologies and informing public policy action. Recent work hassought to use a variety of vehicle-based, person-based and infrastructure-based sensor systems to collect data on key aspects ofdriver and traffic behaviour, emissions, pollutant concentrations and exposure. The variety and pervasiveness of the sensor inputsavailable will increase significantly in the future as a result both of the increasingly widespread penetration of existingtechnologies (e.g., GPS based vehicle tracking, CANbus interfaces to on-board engine management system data) within thevehicle parc and the introduction of new technologies (such as e.g., UV sensing and nanotechnology based micro sensors). Aparticularly exciting direction for future development will be in the use of vehicles as platforms for outward facing environmentalsensor systems, allowing vehicles to operate as mobile environmental probes, providing radically improved capability for thedetection and monitoring of environmental pollutants and hazardous materials.However, these developments present new and formidable research challenges arising from the need to transmit,integrate, model and interpret vast quantities of highly diverse (spatially and temporally varying) sensor data. Our approach in thisproject is to address these challenges by novel combination and extension of state-of-the-art eScience, sensor, positioning andmodelling (data fusion, traffic, transport, emissions, dispersion) technologies. By so doing, we aim to develop the capability tomeasure, model and predict a wide range of environmental pollutants and hazards (both transport related and otherwise) using agrid of pervasive roadside and vehicle-mounted sensors. This work will be at the leading edge of eScience, stretching thecapabilities of the grid in a number of aspects of the processing of massive volumes of sensor data.

Publications

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Coconea L (2014) Real-time tools for situational awareness and emergency management in transport infrastructures in International Journal of Mobile Network Design and Innovation

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Edwards S (2012) Wireless technology applications to enhance traveller safety in IET Intelligent Transport Systems

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Edwards S (2015) Technology to support independent travel in the UK in Proceedings of the Institution of Civil Engineers - Municipal Engineer

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Emmerson C (2013) Fork in the road: In-vehicle navigation systems and older drivers in Transportation Research Part F: Traffic Psychology and Behaviour

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Evans G (2014) Evaluating Transport Technologies for Mitigating the Impact of Emergency Events: Findings from the SAVE ME Project in International Journal of Transportation

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Evans G (2015) Integrated smartcard solutions: do people want one card for all their services? in Transportation Planning and Technology

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Guo A (2010) The application of in-vehicle systems for elderly drivers in European Transport Research Review

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Guo W (2015) Effect of intelligent speed adaptation technology on older drivers' driving performance in IET Intelligent Transport Systems

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Hill G (2014) Quantifying a cellular automata simulation of electric vehicles in Physica A: Statistical Mechanics and its Applications

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Hill G (2014) How does the use of a continuously updating database allow for the analysis of a user's changing behaviour in electric vehicles? in IET Intelligent Transport Systems

 
Description The project developed wireless environmental sensors which were connected together wirelessly to form a pervasive sensor network for road transport monitoring. The underlying e-science to collect and analyse the data in real-time was ground breaking at the time. The system has been deployed and demonstrated in cities in the UK and around the world with several commercial installations of the equipment
Exploitation Route We exploited the wirless sensor network technology in several related domains including installing a knowledge gathering central sensor bub in vehicles under the EU Project TRACKSS and developed an embedded sensor system in vehicles and in the infrastructure in the EU project EMMA - this delivered embedded middleware for sensor management which was then exploited by Bosche in Germany and TRW Connect in the UK. Wireless sensors were also developed from this for indoor navigation and POI applications in the EU project ASK-IT.
Sectors Digital/Communication/Information Technologies (including Software),Environment,Transport
URL http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7jwVXYFtgHA
 
Description The main exploitation has been the commercialisation of the wireless sensor networks by an UK SME Envirowatch. They have commercially installed the system in several UK locations including MEDWAY and STOCKPORT. More recently Envirowatch won a contract with NATS (National Air Traffic Control Centre) to install a network of sensors to measure noise generated by aircraft arriving and leaving Gatwick Airport information on this deployment can be found here: http://nats.aero/blog/2014/07/measuring-reducing-aviation-noise/ The underlying e-science and data base management and techniques developed in the MESSAGE project was carried forward into a new project funded by the TSB - Ultra Low Carbon Vehicle Demonstrator Projects which monitored and analysed electric vehicle movements using data loggers. The PI (Blythe) and two of the research staff (Shuresh and Hill) transferred their skills to deliver this project in the North East of England.
First Year Of Impact 2008
Sector Digital/Communication/Information Technologies (including Software),Environment,Transport
Impact Types Societal,Policy & public services
 
Description Department for Transport 
Organisation Department of Transport
Country United Kingdom 
Sector Public 
Start Year 2006
 
Description ITIS Holdings plc 
Organisation ITIS Holdings plc
Country United Kingdom 
Sector Public 
Start Year 2006
 
Description Owlstone 
Organisation Owlstone Incorporated
Country United Kingdom 
Sector Private 
Start Year 2006
 
Description SERCO 
Organisation SERCO
Country United Kingdom 
Sector Private 
Start Year 2006
 
Title Envirowatch Licence 
Description Newcastle University has entered into a licence agreement with an external company, Envirowatch Ltd, to allow them to commercially exploit the technology relating to the electronic hardware that was designed within the University's School of Electrical, Electronic, and Computer Engineering, under the MESSAGE project. The intellectual property subject of the licence dwells principally in copyright and know-how associated with the mote design. The licence is exclusive, and royalty bearing. It has exclusivity claw-back clauses in the event of non-performance. EnviroWatch will initially supply motes to support the following on-going MESSAGE deployments: 1. On the M42 to deploy a 50 mote array WSP Group funded by the Highways Agency 2. In Medway Towns 50 mote deployment plus SCOOT congestion, emissions and OSPM algorithm implementation. In collaboration with consultants AMEY funded by the Medway towns. 3. Edinburgh City Council Scotland Initial deployment 30 motes and potentially a further 50. EnviroWatch was formed for the purpose by external founders associated with Senstar Ltd (a Midlands based security company), and Powercom Solutions Ltd, (a North East based electronics company). It has secured solid foundation financing and is currently commercialising, (including seeking appropriate regulatory approvals for), the mote hardware design. EnviroWatch recognised that the electronic hardware design, in particular its very low power requirement for sustained operation, was a key unique selling point, and they recently commissioned the University to develop an energy harvesting system which has now extended the unattended operation of the mote indefinitely. It is expected that EnviroWatch will commence the commercial delivery of motes in the first quarter of 2010. 
IP Reference  
Protection Protection not required
Year Protection Granted 2010
Licensed Yes
Impact Margaret Bell can answer this section better as I have left the exploitation of impacts of this project to her and her partnership with Envirowatch