nai

Project Progress

Co-I Kim Binsted has started a collaboration with Chris McKay (Ames NAI team) by submitting a proposal to develop a system of autonomous sensor networks in the Arctic for hydrology research. Autonomous sensor networks are desirable for conducting research on Earth, and essential on other planets. In remote locations with extreme environments, it is expensive and often hazardous to retrieve data manually. Because distance limits opportunities for fixing problems, the network must be robust, and conduct self-repair, if possible, or carry out damage-limiting strategies, if not. Canada ‘s High Arctic is a useful analog for conditions on Mars and Europa, both in the scientific questions posed by its ecosystems, and in the technological challenges involved in gathering data there. We propose to build an autonomous sensor network in the Expedition Fiord region of Axel Heiberg Island, to conduct hydrological research relevant to astrobiology, and to advance the state of the sensor network technology. The overall objectives are:

• To augment existing sensor network protocols in order to support efficient, robust, and autonomous data collection and transmission in extreme environments.
• To deploy an autonomous sensor network in the Expedition Fiord region of the Arctic .
• To collect and analyze data on the growth and movement of ice in this hydrologically important region.
• To evaluate the performance of the sensor network, both with regards to its performance in the Arctic environment, and the potential for deployment of similar technology elsewhere in the solar system.
• To give high school and college students access to this near real time data, so they can observe, and participate in, the research effort.