Low cost autonomous field-deployable environment sensors

An Autonomous Environmental Sensor (AES) is a miniature electronic package combining position location capability (using the Global Positioning System (GPS)), communications (packet or voice-synthesized radio), and environmental detection capability (thermal, gas, radiation, optical emissions) into a small, inexpensive, deployable package. AESs can now be made with commercial off-the-shelf components. The AES package can be deployed at a study site by airdrop or by workers on the ground, and operates as a data logger (recording data locally) or as a sentry (transmitting data real-time). Using current low-power electronics technology, an AES can operate for a number of weeks using a simple dry battery pack, and can be designed to have a transmitting range of several kilometers with current low power radio communication technology. A receiver to capture the data stream from the AES can be made as light, inexpensive and portable as the AES itself. In addition, inexpensive portable repeaters can be used to extend the range of the AES and to coordinate many probes into an autonomous network. We will discuss the design goals and engineering restrictions of an AES, and show a design in a particular application as a wildland fire sentry.