Software-Defined Sensors: using Edge Computing to Revolutionize Sensing

There is a growing science community, spanning nearly every discipline, pursuing research related to the growth and operation of cities, their impact on the natural environment, and on the health and well-being of city dwellers. With input from scientists, policymakers, and residents of Chicago, Argonne National Laboratory and the University of Chicago created the Array of Things (AoT)—a new form of intelligent urban measurement system implemented in partnership with the City of Chicago. AoT provides data with greater spatial and temporal resolution than is currently available for understanding air quality, microclimate, vibration, noise, and other factors, providing measurements from hundreds of locations throughout the city. AoT devices rely on Argonne's Waggle platform, supporting embedded, remotely programmable artificial intelligence capabilities—"edge computing"—to process images, sound, vibration, and other data within the installed devices, creating measurements that cannot be obtained from traditional sensor networks. These new forms of "software-defined" sensors measure factors beyond the reach of traditional sensors, from the flow of people and vehicles through public spaces to the impact of rail crossings on emergency response. Edge computing also brings adaptivity to sensing devices, enabling them to adapt their measurement strategies in response to conditions and events. AoT is being implemented in a growing number of cities worldwide, and provides open and free data along with tutorials, data analysis tools, and application programming interfaces.