Call For Papers

The aim of this workshop is to stimulate research in the specific domain of middleware for wireless sensor networks (WSNs), to collect current expertise, and to further refine and integrate different approaches. In particular, we will investigate how middleware architectures can relieve programmers from the lowest level sensor details, while still enabling them to exploit a sensor's resource capabilities in the most optimal way. This workshop wants to trigger and guide research efforts to create an integrated middleware vision, which is required to handle the challenges inherent to developing and deploying complex sensor applications in an efficient way.

Middleware for sensor networks is an emerging and very promising research area. Most of the current projects on sensor middleware are at an early stage, focusing on developing algorithms and components for data aggregation, localization, service discovery, routing, synchronization, etc. These projects, however, often lack attention for integrating these algorithms and components into a generic middleware architecture, and for helping application developers to compose a system that exactly matches their requirements.

Consequently, developing and deploying end-to-end applications for sensor networks in a realistic business context remains highly complex. Examples of end-to-end sensor applications include: cargo monitoring systems in a harbor that check containers in a WSN equipped ship for detecting dangerous chemical substances, locating stowaways, or calculating import duties; transport systems that route traffic using real-time data monitored by sensor-enabled cars; emergency management systems that can detect bushfires; health systems that can alert people suffering from asthma or pollen allergies nearing a region of currently high pollen density.

The complexity of sensor programming is partly caused by the highly resource limited, dynamic and heterogeneous environments in which sensor applications must operate. WSN characteristics require a specific approach for middleware development that goes beyond dealing with resource constraints: middleware for WSNs involves an end-to-end approach that handles the WSN as a whole rather than as a group of individual nodes. This implies considerable consequences for typical middleware services such as mobility, coordination, service discovery, security, data aggregation, quality of service, handling hardware heterogeneity, handling communication errors, scalability, and network organization.

Some of the challenges posed by the above described end-to-end approach include the development of: innovative middleware architectures that permit new sensor services to integrate safely with legacy systems; enhanced programming models, event propagation models, and data models to accommodate the requirements of sensor applications and services; and inventive design approaches to shield application developers from dealing with device heterogeneity, locality, and availability.

In order to address these challenges for sensor middleware the workshop seeks papers in, but not limited to, the areas listed below:

• Software engineering support:
  • Software architectures for sensor middleware
  • Sensor middleware programming models and abstractions
  • Dynamic reconfiguration and adaptation of sensor middleware
  • Sensor middleware for self-assembly, self-configuration, self-distribution and autonomic computing in general
  • Sensor mobility
  • Sensor heterogeneity
  • Technology trade-offs (agent infrastructures, mobile code systems, event based middleware)
  • Lightweight agent middleware for WSNs
• Middleware services:
  • Location tracking, localization, and synchronization services
  • Aggregation techniques and data management
  • Energy-aware middleware mechanisms
  • Cross layering and resource awareness
  • Fault tolerance and reliability
  • In-network QoS control
  • Privacy and security services
• Management of WSNs:
  • Overlay and topology management
  • Resource discovery and management
  • Effective naming and device/service discovery in end-to-end WSNs
  • Interoperability of WSNs with existing/legacy middleware architectures
• Sensor applications/tools:
  • Testing and simulation tools for middleware
  • Experience/application/assessment of sensor middleware for real-world applications

Submitted papers must be original work without substantial overlap with papers that have been published or that are simultaneously submitted to a journal or conference with proceedings. All submissions must be in English. Submissions must not exceed 6 pages, must strictly follow the ACM conference proceedings format, must be laid out according to the final camera-ready formatting instructions, and must be submitted in PDF format. The proceedings will be uploaded to the ACM Digital Library. Enhanced versions of the best papers will be published in a special issue of IEEE distributed systems online.

More information about submitting a paper to the MidSens'07 workshop can be found on the submission webpage.

Download CFP

Download Call For Papers: MidSens2007-cfp.pdf