Wireless sensor network and wireless multimedia network technologies combined with interactive 3D virtual visualization can converge into really interesting and functional applications such as detailed real-time monitoring of environments, emergency response and preparedness, distributed collaborative training, and remote walkthroughs, just to name a few examples. With the recent advances in wireless communication, and the proliferation of portable computer and micro-sensor devices, we are witnessing a growing interest in using wireless multimedia sensor networks and collaborative virtual environment technologies for safety and security class of applications.

In the first part of this talk, we will give an overview of some research projects related to emergency preparedness and response that are currently being investigated at the PARADISE Research Laboratory at the uOttawa. We will show how collaborative virtual environment, context aware computing, wireless multimedia, and wireless ad hoc and sensor networks can be used to ensure public safety and security. We will focus upon the design of large-scale distributed simulation system for applications that require critical condition monitoring using both location/context aware computing and wireless sensor technologies.

The second part of the talk will focus on the coverage problem in wireless sensor networks. How well a given area can be monitored by wireless multimedia sensor networks is a critical issue whose solution is required for successful deployment of many important applications on such networks. I will discuss some new results on coverage mechanisms, and show their effectiveness in identifying fully covered sensors, discovering blind holes and reaching reasonable coverage quality.

Lastly, and as time permits, the talk will conclude by presenting two testbeds that are currently under development at PARADISE: the LIVE testbed, and the SWiMNet testbed. LIVE is a testbed for applications that require emergency preparedness and response. LIVE’s architecture integrates wireless sensor networks with wireless multimedia and virtual environment technologies. SWiMNet is a testbed of a high performance simulation system that supports very detailed and realistic model specifications to enable the design and evaluation of new protocols and applications for future generations of mobile ad hoc networks, as well as sensor networks.

Who is Azzedine Boukerche?

Dr. A. Boukerche, is a Full Professor of Computer Science and Engineering and holds a Canada Research Chair Position at the University of Ottawa. Prior to this, he was Faculty Member at the Dept. of Computer Sciences and Engineering, University of North Texas. He also worked as a Senior Research Scientist at Metron Corp. located in San Diego, California, where he was leading several DoD projects on data distribution management for large-scale distributed and interactive systems. He also worked as a visiting scientist at Caltech/JPL-NASA, where he contributed to a project centered on the specification and verification of the software used to control interplanetary spacecraft operated by JPL/NASA Laboratory. He is the Founding Director of PARADISE Research Lab and NSERC DIVA Research Centre at uOttawa. His current research interests include Wireless Networks and Mobile Computing, Wireless Ad hoc and Sensor Networks, Wireless Multimedia, distributed management and security system for wireless and mobile networks, and large-scale distributed interactive simulations and collaborative virtual environment. He serves as an Associate Editor for the  IEEE Transactions on Vehicular Technology, IEEE Wireless Communication Magazine, ACM/Springer Wireless Networks, Elsevier Ad Hoc Networks Journal, ELsevier Int’l Journal on Pervasive and Mobile Computing, Wiley Wireless Communication and Mobile Computing, and Int’l Journal of Parallel and Distributed Computing (JPDC). He serves as a Program Co-Chair for ICC 2013-Ad Hoc and Sensor Networking Symposium, Chair of the IEEE ComSOC on Ad Hoc and Sensor Networks, and the Steering Committee Chair for ACM/IEEE MSWiM symposium. He is the recipient of several awards, including, The Ontario Distinguished Researcher Award, the prestigious Premier’s Ontario Research Excellence (PREA) Award, and the George S. Glinski Award for Excellence in Research. He is a Fellow of the Canadian Academy of Engineering and a Fellow of The American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS)

Azzedine Boukerche’s personal site

This event will be conducted in English