Specifications

5
• Radio Access - wireless sys tem that is reliable u p at least a half a mile and supports
a one-step network setup and data routing
• Sufficiently Rugged - resistant to environment, rough handling, and vandalism
• Automatic Centralized Data Collection - All data in a network of devices must
be collected and stored at one central location
• Versatile Sensor Interface - Support wide array of readily available sensors in-
terfaces like analog voltage or current measurements, digital pulse-width and pulse-
frequency measurements, and SDI-12 measurements.
Of note among this list is the requirement that this device must have radio access.
This feature alone is the most sought after and, ir onically, introduces the most complexity.
This feature has pushed the cost of some existing systems into the thousands of dollars. It
also introduces the need for a network management level, which has frustrated and deterred
many producers and researches.
1.4 Proposed Objectives
Given the need for a new system, the author partnered with Acclima and Aquarius
Brands who provided funding to develop a new market-ready wireless data-logging platform
called the Acclima DataManager which:
1. Offers, through the integration of ultra low-power electronic devices and on-board
power management, a longer battery life than any existing equivalent product on the
market.
2. Supports a wide variety of sensors with analog, digital, and SDI-12 interfaces in a
competitive, low-cost package.
3. Facilitates a dynamically integrated sensor-network approach to environmental sens-
ing and data communication by making use of the ZigBee (IEEE 802.15.4) Mesh inter-
face and supporting runtime reconfiguration of ZigBee network personalities. This will
allow any product p urchased to be configured as a coordinator, router, or en dp oint.