Publications

Abstract: Forecasting the expected energy harvest enables small-sized energy-harvesting sensor nodes to schedule tasks or adapt the radio duty cycle. This ability ensures depletion-safe and efficient operation. Most energy sources exhibit cyclic patterns of intensity, e.g., the sun. These patterns show periods with unequal--low versus high and stable versus varying--energy production and heavily depend on a node's location as well as seasonal and environmental changes. Existing forecast algorithms do not exploit these patterns, but create and update forecasts at static and arbitrary points in time, the main knob being the number of updates per cycle. We present a method enabling sensor nodes to adapt to harvesting patterns at runtime. It is designed for seamlessly replacing the static scheme to improve the accuracy of a wide range of existing forecast algorithms. In our evaluation, we show that (i) the adaptive method traces the energy pattern in real-world deployments accurately, (ii) reacts to seasonal and environmental changes, (iii) increases forecast accuracy, and (iv) reduces the number of prediction updates. These achievements enhance depletion-safe operation and efficient task scheduling with fewer recalculations and adjustments of the duty cycle. They also facilitate the exchange of harvesting forecasts for collaborative node tasks, since less information has to be shared.

Abstract: Although RFID is mostly used for ticketing, e-passports and supply chain management applications, the technology is also suitable for transponder based navigation systems. There it can be applied to leave a virtual trace on writeable RFID tags. These applications use RFID in a different way, because the tags are stationary and related to each other, since each tag of the path points to the following one. This offers the possibility to develop more efficient algorithms for their detection. In this paper, we suggest to store the identifying masks of subsequent tag IDs on the tags. The approach can easily be used with query-tree anti-collision methods. We examine the requirements for such an approach and describe a concrete algorithm, which is simulated and compared with different anti-collision algorithms.

Abstract: The maximum weight matching problem is a fundamental problem in graph theory with a variety of important applications. Recently Manne and Mjelde presented the first self-stabilizing algorithm computing a 2-approximation of the optimal solution. They established that their algorithm stabilizes after O(2^n) (resp. O(3^n)) moves under a central (resp. distributed) scheduler. This paper contributes a new analysis improving these bounds considerably. In particular it is shown that the algorithm stabilizes after O(nm) moves under the central scheduler and that a modified version of the algorithm also stabilizes after O(nm) moves under the distributed scheduler. The paper presents a new proof technique based on graph reduction to analyze the complexity of self-stabilizing algorithms.

Abstract: The non-computability of many distributed tasks in anonymous networks is well known. This paper presents a deterministic self-stabilizing algorithm to compute a 3 - (2 / (Delta+1))-approximation of a minimum vertex cover in anonymous networks. The algorithm operates under the distributed unfair scheduler, stabilizes after O(n+m) moves respectively O(Delta) rounds, and requires O(log n) storage per node. Recovery from a single fault is reached within a constant time and the contamination number is O(Delta). For trees the algorithm computes a 2-approximation of a minimum vertex cover.

Abstract: This paper presents a new distributed self-stabilizing algorithm for the weakly connected minimal dominating set problem. It assumes a self-stabilizing algorithm to compute a breadth-first tree. Using an unfair distributed scheduler the algorithm stabilizes in at most O(nmA) moves, where A is the number of moves to construct a breadth-first tree. All previously known algorithms required an exponential number of moves.

Abstract: Wireless sensor networks (WSNs) suffer from resource limitations, high failure rates and faults caused by the lossy nature of wireless communication. This can lead to situations, where nodes lose synchrony and programs reach arbitrary states. Traditional approaches to fault tolerance like fault masking or global resets are not feasible for WSNs. Applying the concepts of self-stabilisation to achieve fault tolerance is a promising concept. However, the majority of self-stabilising algorithms found in the literature is based on models not suitable for WSNs. This paper proposes a problem-independent transformation for algorithms that stabilise under the central daemon scheduler such that they meet the demands of a WSN. Furthermore, a comparison with transformers from the literature is made through a series of simulations. Finally, the proposed transformer is evaluated with a real sensor network in a field test.

Abstract: This paper presents distributed self-stabilizing algorithms for the maximal independent and the minimal dominating set problems. Using an unfair distributed scheduler the algorithms stabilizes in at most max{3n-5,2n} resp. 9n moves. All previously known algorithms required O(n2) moves.

Abstract: We describe a use of formal methods to specify and check a Web Services protocol. The Web Services Atomic Transaction protocol was specified in TLA+ and checked with the TLC model checker. A modest effort revealed oversights that caused unanticipated behaviors of the protocol; these were corrected by clarifications and changes to the protocol.

Abstract: A new data monitoring method for wireless sensor networks is introduced. The method combines geographic hash tables with in-network aggregation. Queries are processed in regions, whose sensor nodes collect their values in nodes close to a determinated location within the region, where they can easily be requested from outside. The method is robust against node failures and movements and generates very little network traffic. This is confirmed by various simulations.

Abstract: Combining energy harvesting with energy-aware scheduling enables perpetually operating sensor networks. The practical realization of this goal yet requires reliable and precise holistic online energy assessment. While the building blocks--assessing residual energy, predicting energy intake, and tracing energy consumption--have been studied in detail, the analysis of their interaction on a real platform has been neglected. This paper answers the question, whether these techniques can be easily joined to give a precise and correct picture of a sensor node's energetic state and behavior. For this purpose, we model the energy flow of a prototype energy-harvesting sensor node and evaluate the joint performance of state-of-the-art energy assessment based on a field test. We verify the system model and show the feasibility of holistic energy assessment, which tolerates small configuration errors, achievable with a combination of generic configuration and online calibration. We also analyze the feasibility of forecasting a node's future energetic state, and find that the presented method gives sufficient results for uniformly distributed consumption profiles.

Abstract: This paper presents an algorithm to dynamically determine the maximum supported uniform demand for energy of sensor nodes powered by energy harvesters using supercapacitors as energy buffers. Knowledge about the maximum uniform consumption is required to adapt the sensor node's duty cycle or task schedule to achieve uniform, utility-maximizing, and depletion-safe operation. Our algorithm makes use of a supercapacitors' relationship between state-of-charge and voltage, is particularly designed to handle the non-linear system model, and is lightweight enough to run on low-power sensor node hardware. We define three energy policies, evaluate their performance using a real-world solar-harvesting trace, and analyze the influence of the supercapacitor's capacity and errors of the energy forecast.

Abstract: Combining energy harvesting with energy-aware scheduling enables perpetually operating sensor networks. Practical realization yet requires precise holistic online energy assessment. The building blocks are available, but the analysis of their interaction has been neglected. To close the gap, we evaluate the joint performance of energy assessment components. Our experiments substantiate that holistic energy assessment is feasible and that small configuration errors are tolerable.

Abstract: This paper presents and evaluates ORiNoCo, a novel data-collection and event-reporting protocol for sensor networks. ORiNoCo is built upon the asynchronous duty-cycle protocol RI-MAC and breaks with the tradition of exchanging extensive neighborhood information, a cornerstone of many competing collection protocols and one of their major source of communication overhead and energy expenditure. The merit of this venture is an opportunistic, energy-efficient, latency-reducing, and self-stabilizing protocol. ORiNoCo comes at virtually no extra costs in terms of memory demand and communication overhead compared to RI-MAC. We derive theoretical boundaries for the improvements in radio efficiency, latency, and energy-consumption. ORiNoCo is verified with these findings via simulation and compared with CTP. ORiNoCo achieves lower energy-consumption while reducing end-to-end delays.

Abstract: Bounding the impact of transient small-scale faults by self-stabilizing protocols has been pursued with independent objectives: Optimizing the system's reaction upon topological changes (e.g. super-stabilization), and reducing system recovery time from memory corruptions (e.g. fault-containment). Even though transformations adding either super-stabilization or fault-containment to existing protocols exists, none of them preserves the other. This paper makes a first attempt to combine both objectives. We provide a transformation adding fault-containment to silent self-stabilizing protocols while simultaneously preserving the property of self-stabilization and the protocol's behavior in face of topological changes. In particular, the protocol's response to a topology change remains unchanged even if a memory corruption occurs in parallel to the topology change. The presented transformation increases the memory footprint only by a factor of 4 and adds O(1) bits per edge. All previously known transformations for fault-containing self-stabilization increase the memory footprint by a factor of 2m/n.

Abstract: This paper presents the design of a universal energy module for nodes in wireless sensor networks. It supports a wide range of energy harvesters and energy storage systems. The focus is on the efficient conversion and storage of energy and to provide a smart platform for higher level energy management functions. The module provides maximum power point tracking and supports hybrid harvesters.

Abstract: In this paper we present a Digital Boarding Assistance (DigiBa) system for passengers in airport terminals. By providing navigation, notification and information services, passengers are enabled to move efficiently through the terminal. Based on functional requirements of such a system, the paper presents a prototype implementation on an embedded mobile device with restricted resources. Challenges concerning channel access in dense networks and indoor navigation on a device with limited hardware capabilities are outlined.

Abstract: This paper presents a new approach to exclude problems arising from dynamically switching between protected concurrent and unprotected single-threaded use of shared data when using software transactional memory in OO languages such as Java. The approach is based on a simple but effective programming model separating transactions from non-transactional operation. It prevents the application programmer from errors but does not force the software transactional memory library to observe non-transactional access and thereby preserves modularity of the software. A prototypical toolchain for validation and source code instrumentation was implemented as a proof of concept.

Abstract: The accuracy of link-quality estimators (LQE) is mission-critical in many application scenarios in wireless sensor networks (WSN), since the link-quality metric is used for routing decisions or neighborhood formation. Link-quality estimation must offer validity for different timescales. Existing LQEs describe and approximate the current quality in a single value only. This method leads to a limited accuracy and expressiveness about the presumed future behavior of a link. The LQE developed in this paper incorporates four quality metrics that give a holistic assessment of the link and its dynamic behavior; therefore, this research is an important step to achieving a higher prediction accuracy including knowledge about the short- and long-term behavior.

Abstract: Proving stabilization of a complex algorithm under the distributed scheduler is a non-trivial task. This paper introduces a new method which allows to extend proofs for the central scheduler to the distributed scheduler. The practicability of the method is shown by applying it to two existing algorithms, for which stabilization under the distributed scheduler was an open problem.

Abstract: This paper presents a new transformation which adds fault-containment properties to any silent self-stabilizing protocol. The transformation features a constant slow-down factor and the fault-gap – that is the minimal time between two containable faults – is constant. The transformation scales well to arbitrarily large systems and avoids global synchronization.

Abstract: Energy-efficient transportation of periodical sensor readings towards a single sink in wireless sensor networks is a challenging task. In general, two data-gathering strategies exist: on-demand and bulk data forwarding. For both strategies, cross-layer techniques are a promising approach, where TDMA is tailored to the underlying routing tree. Therefore, different TDMA schemes are compared regarding achievable throughput, packet delay, and energy-efficiency for various sampling rates and scenarios. Existing schemes perform well in dedicated topologies only. The new and simple TDMA scheme presented in this paper outperforms its predecessors in all scenarios under consideration. These findings are substantiated by both theoretical analysis and extensive simulation.

Abstract: Outdoor navigation services have become ubiquitously available due to small handheld devices such as GPS enabled mobile phones or dedicated mobile navigation systems. Two main drivers were necessary in order to provide widespread location based services: Acquiring positioning information with a certain degree of precision and widespread (mobile) access to computer networks to use the position information with a large information basis such as the Internet. Envisioned is a future, where indoor navigation and location based services are used as naturally as outdoor location based services are now. To achieve this long term vision where users seamlessly navigate for example from work desk to departure gate at the airport and use location based services on the way, various challenges have to be solved. In this paper, these challenges and open issues are discussed. The paper proposes an architecture which abstracts from different mobile devices and localization technologies. Additionally, it sketches the use of indoor topology information to increase the accuracy of indoor localization. These two presented concepts form a basis for a transition period until standards for ubiquitous indoor location based services have emerged.

Abstract: Achieving perpetual and self-sustaining operation of wireless sensor nodes is an important topic of current research in the field of energy harvesting. Closely related to this is the employment of energy budgeting, i.e., effective utilization of available and future energy resources without pushing a node towards the hazard of energy depletion. Therefore, reliable prediction of node lifetime in context of the available energy within a given time is required. This in turn requires self-calibration of the sensor nodes and their energy harvesting supply. In this paper, we explore and assess models for a supercapacitor-based harvesting supply. The parameters of the models are discussed and determined, so that fast, reliable, and energy-efficient calibration becomes possible. Moreover, measurement results for a specific hardware platform are discussed and a roadmap for a self-calibration algorithm is presented.

Abstract: This paper presents a deterministic self-stabilizing algorithm that computes a 3-approximation vertex cover in anonymous networks. It reaches a legal state after O(n+m) moves or 2n + 1 rounds respectively and recovers from a single fault within a constant containment time. The contamination number is 2 Delta + 1. An enhanced version of this algorithm achieves a 2-approximation on trees.

Abstract: The availability of fast anti-collision algorithms is crucial for most RFID applications. This paper aims to evaluate these algorithms for applications in which it is not intended to identify the entirety of moving objects but to detect as much tags as needed to allow orientation. The navigation of Automated Guided Vehicles (AGV) by distributed landmarks is an example which clarifies the discriminative requirements compared to supply chain tasks. For the former purpose redundant information can be gained from different tags. This requires the detection of an application dependent percentage of all tags. Because AGVs are moving, the detection and read and write operations have to be close together and very fast, since repetitive communication is not always possible.

Abstract: Wireless Sensor Networks (WSNs) operate in an unstable environment and thus are subject to arbitrary transient faults. Self-stabilization is a promising technique to add tolerance against transient faults in a self-contained non-masking way. A core factor for the applicability of a given self-stabilizing algorithm is its convergence time. This paper analyses the average stabilization time of three algorithms commonly regarded as central building blocks for WSNs. The analysis is accomplished with SelfWISE, a framework providing programming abstractions for selfstabilizing algorithms. The performed analysis considers the target models as well as network size and density. This demonstrates the usability of SelfWISE for evaluating selfstabilizing algorithms under a wide range of models.

Abstract: TinyAID is a tool that supports automated instrumentation and evaluation of TinyOS-based distributed applications. Two types of instrumentations are provided: logging of call chains and message flows within the network. TinyAID assists the debugging process by post evaluation of the logged data. A main benefit is the visualization component for representing traces in their spatial and temporal order. The instrumentation and evaluation concepts are evaluated in two case studies: the SelfWISE framework and a selection of routing algorithms. Due to the automated process of TinyAID the evaluation could be performed without a deeper knowledge of the implementations under test. In the first case TinyAID revealed a weakness in the TOSSIM random number generator. The second case demonstrates the power of TinyAID to visualize the quality of protocols in a unified manner, without any manual changes to the specific source code.

Abstract: This paper proposes and analyses the idea of replacing professional mobile radio for airport ground handlers by VoIP systems based on WLAN. The proposed communication scheme is adjusted to business processes at airports. It provides push-to-talk unicast and group messages (determined by business tasks or location) with priorities, encrypted transmission, and mailboxes. The resulting architecture and proof-of-concept prototype consists of a server and software clients reusing already installed hardware and WLAN infrastructure, and uses peer-to-peer RDP voice streams. Bandwidth considerations estimate a maximum of 72 concurrent streams per access point on WLAN for IEEE 802.11g (54 Mbit/s) and 13 streams for IEEE 802.11b (11 Mbit/s), enhanced with a factor 3 to 5 if IEEE 802.11e is used as quality of service support.

Abstract: This paper introduces SelfWISE, a framework for enabling wireless sensor networks to be programmed in a self-stabilizing manner. The framework eases the formal specification of algorithms by abstracting from low-level details such as wireless channel and hardwarespecific characteristics. SelfWISE consists of a language for expressing self-stabilizing algorithms, a runtime environment for simulating algorithms in wireless sensor networks, and supporting tools. The hereby applied transformation of formally described algorithms into the simulation environment preserves the self-stabilizing properties. Development, evaluation, and debugging of self-stabilizing algorithms is considerably facilitated by utilizing SelfWISE.

Abstract: Network neighborhoods are a key communication abstraction in sensor networks, allowing sensor nodes to collect and aggregate sensor data from nearby other nodes. In many applications, multi-hop neighborhoods of several nodes overlap, such that nodes participate in many neighborhoods, having to contribute their data items to all containing neighborhoods. We consider two orthogonal approaches to efficiently support this data aggregation problem. A push-based approach, where each node floods its data item in a multi-hop neighborhood, and a pull-based approach, where each node collects data from nodes in a multi-hop network neighborhood using a spanning tree. Our goal is to identify situations where one approach outperforms the other. For this, we implement these protocols in TOSSIM, study overhead and yield as a function of the fraction of nodes in the network that perform data aggregation over a multi-hop neighborhood, and report our findings.

Abstract: In this paper an efficient TDMA slot assignment for the many-to-one routing pattern in wireless sensor networks is presented and analyzed. This assignment scheme is based on a simple to implement heuristic, named spatial path-based reuse (SPR). By considering several metrics, the superiority of this heuristic with respect to energy consumption and runtime compared to proposals found in the literature is demonstrated.

Abstract: The paper analyses potentials, challenges, and applications of using rewritable, stationary RFID tags for marking routes for autonomous vehicles in manufacturing environments. This approach promises to be flexible, robust, and inexpensive. Two algorithms are proposed also considering additional sensors.

Abstract: A particular class of data intensive wireless sensor networks are those networks where sensors periodically measure data with high rates. The focus of this work is on the efficient transport of high volumes of sampled data through a multi-hop network with limited resources using a routing tree. This paper analyzes TDMA schemes for this purpose with respect to buffer usage and energy consumption. In particular, it is shown, that classical TDMA schemes are not optimal for tree-routing in data-intensive sensor networks.

Abstract: This paper presents the design of a long-term reliable data gathering service for many-to-one communication in wireless sensor networks: all nodes send periodically delaytolerant data to a single node. The service operates reliably despite strict resource constraints, poor link qualities, and frequent disconnects. This paper presents a novel protocol for gathering periodically measured data including a solution for the wearleveling problem of the EEPROM. Furthermore, theoretical limits of this approach based on available bandwidth and local memory are provided. Finally, preliminary results of an implementation of the service are presented. In particular a detailed analysis of the energy consumption during the different phases of this experiment is provided.

Abstract: Sensor networks are increasingly used for applications in which sensors periodically measure data with high sampling rates. The reliable transport of high volumes of sampled data through a multi-hop network with limited resources requires sophisticated algorithms. This paper presents a novel protocol for this task that uses minimal energy, provides high throughput, and requires only small amounts of additional buffer. The protocol is based on a dynamic TDMA scheme and is robust against omission failures.

Abstract: The paper investigates the development of systems for vehicle management on airport aprons, using current A-SMGCS experiences, with a focus on fleet management and turn around processes of mid-size airports. An architecture is proposed that is derived from A-SMGCS, reducing cost by only supporting cooperative targets and off-the-shelf hardware. Available candidate technologies for implementing the architecture_s components are discussed, pointing out criteria for selection. Systems for vehicle management on aprons are important, because the continuous reductions of aircraft turn-around times increase the pressure on airports and ground handling companies to optimize infrastructure and resources.

Abstract: Every Peer-to-Peer system destined for wide-spread use has to face the challenges imposed by peer population dynamics, which result from peers joining and leaving the system at their own discretion. So any Distributed Hash Table (DHT) design must take precautions against this peer population fluctuation (aka. churn) to sustain efficient lookup performance. Although important, an analysis of the influence of fluctuation on the performance of second generation DHTs in a unified attempt has not been done yet. An existing performance versus cost analysis by Li et al. aims at finding optimal parameters for DHTs being evaluated. However, their analysis focuses on one fluctuation scenario only. In this paper, we analyse second generation DHTs covering a wide range of topologies in a simulation framework under different fluctuation rates and evaluate their performance. Overall Kademlia attains the best lookup performance but its bandwidth consumption goes up significantly when increasing fluctuation rate. With a limited bandwidth budget and high fluctuation rate, Kelips lookup performance is the best among all examined DHTs.

Abstract: P2P data stores excel if availability of inserted data items must be guaranteed. Their inherent mechanisms to counter peer population dynamics make them suitable for a wide range of application domains. This paper presents and analyzes the split maintenance operation of our P2P data store. The operation aims at reorganizing replication groups in case operation of them becomes suboptimal. To this end, we present a formal cost model that peers use to compute optimal points when to run performance optimizing maintenance. Finally, we present experimental results that validate our cost model by simulating various network conditions.

Abstract: Wireless sensor networks (WSNs) pose challenges not present in classical distributed systems: resource limitations, high failure rates, and ad hoc deployment. The lossy nature of wireless communication can lead to situations, where nodes lose synchrony and programs reach arbitrary states. Traditional approaches to fault tolerance like replication or global resets are not feasible. In this work, the concept of self-stabilization is applied to WSNs. The majority of self-stabilizing algorithms found in the literature is based on models not suitable for WSNs: shared memory model, central daemon scheduler, unique processor identifiers, and atomicity. This paper proposes problem-independent transformations for algorithms that stabilize under the central daemon scheduler such that they meet the demands of a WSN. The transformed algorithms use randomization and are probabilistically self-stabilizing. This work allows to utilize many known self-stabilizing algorithms in WSNs. The proposed transformations are evaluated using simulations and a real WSN.

Abstract: Geographic routing in wireless sensor networks is based on the prerequisite that every node has information about its current position, for instance via GPS or some localization algorithm. This location information has a certain degree of inaccuracy in real deployments. The majority of geographic routing algorithms, however, has been designed for nodes with exact position information. We show that location errors yield bad performance or even complete failures. Two elaborated geographic routing algorithms for sensor networks, GPSR and BGR, are evaluated with the nodes having inaccurate location information, varying the standard deviation of the position error between zero and the transmission range. Simulation studies show a vast decrease of the packet delivery ratio. To enhance both algorithms, fixes for them are presented to improve the delivery ratio and to save energy in case of location errors.

Abstract: Extensive field trials are essential to evaluate protocols and algorithms for wireless sensor networks. The high costs of such trials demand for a systematic approach. This paper discusses the issues of setting up a field trial such as packaging, logging, and deployment. Details about a concrete field trial to evaluate a topology discovery algorithm are presented.

Abstract: This paper presents a simple distributed algorithm to determine the bridges, articulation points, and 2-connected components in asynchronous networks with an at least once message delivery semantics in time O(n) using O(lg n)-length messages. The algorithm does not assume a FIFO rule for message delivery. Previously known algorithms either use longer messages or need more time. The algorithm meets the requirements of wireless senor networks and can be applied in several areas relevant to this field such as topology control, clustering, localization and virtual backbone calculations.

Abstract: P2P data stores as opposed to pure P2P networks display their special strength if availability of inserted data items must be guaranteed. Their inherent mech- anisms to counter peer population fluctuation, where peers continuously join or leave the network, make P2P data stores suitable for a wide range of application do- mains. This paper examines one of their maintenance operations called fusion. It reorganizes parts of our P2P data store in case the peer population shrinks so much that data availability is threatened. We present a formal cost model that is used to estimate the optimal point when a fusion is to be invoked. Finally, the paper presents experimental results showing our cost model is valid by simulating various network conditions.

Abstract: The paper presents a generic, high-level Java interface for the vertical integration of wireless sensor networks. The intuitive interfaces are implemented in a framework that is easy to use. The classes of the framework can be extended to meet the requirements of a wide range of applications. In particular, the framework supports sending packets to and receiving packets from nodes of the sensor network. Packet types are represented as Java classes generated from meta-data based on XML Schema. This approach fosters short development cycles and provides the productivity needed in vertical integration applications. The ScatterWeb platform is used as a sample platform for sensor networks.

Abstract: This paper reports on the results and experience gained during a real-world deployment of a sensor network based on the ESB platform in the heathlands of Northern Germany. The goal of the experiment was to gain a deeper insight into the problems of real deployments as opposed to simulated networks. The focus of the experiment was on the long- and short-term reliability of radio links, estimation of link qualities, the influence of the link quality on multi-hop routing, and on neighborhood exploration.

Abstract: Business data is one of the most critical components of the IT portfolio of any enterprise. However enterprises are facing a major challenge of providing a holistic view of it when the data spans across multiple heterogeneous systems with different data models embedded in them. To achieve maximum benefits from the SOA, it is crucial to create a common data management approach that handles all aspects of integrating information exposed through different autonomous services in an enterprise. We present an approach by which it becomes possible to provide the holistic view of business data by actively driving simplicity and SOA project acceleration. It allows us to integrate the supply chain applications of an enterprise and hence building a competitively differentiated supply chain for the future.

Abstract: In this paper we show an approach to business activity modelling, with emphasis on identification of Services, messages being exchanged between them, collaboration scenarios and coordination protocols to be considered for the fulfilment of those scenarios. The modelling technique has been developed during business process analysis at Lufthansa Technik AG. An airframe related components overhaul process has been researched, in order to advise the concerned department, on application of loosely coupled systems. The analysis provides a basis for the inception of a SOA-based system, for the handling of airframe related components. The presented technique is not limited to the aerospace industry, but constitutes a generic approach to Service-Oriented Modelling. The main focus of this technique is the transformation from traditional, activity-based model, towards a model based upon message exchange between the participating Services. Further transition leads to the identification of collaboration patterns involved in the business activity. Given those patterns it is possible, to prove the applicability of standardized coordination protocols to the particular collaboration. We derive a methodology for structural approach to the management of business activities in SOA context, based on our experience gathered during the described analysis.

Abstract: P2P data stores achieve high data availability by introducing replication of data. As a consequence, searching data may require to follow several routing paths introducing additional communication. A formal model of this additional communication is introduced and evaluated based on a hypercube based P2P data store.

Abstract: This contribution proposes an approach that is necessary to model cross enterprise business processes using Service Oriented Modeling and its realization by leveraging standard Web Services protocols. It stresses the need for validation of produced models at every step of development which is essential to reduce the mistakes at early stages and raise the level of confidence. It also assures that all important aspects are considered at the right level of abstraction whereas programmatic support allows reducing project completion time.

Abstract: Creation of formal specifications is being considered a relief for the difficulties of inception and construction of distributed systems. Numerous formal methods exist for the purpose of description of distributed systems and protocols. The creation of formal specifications for these systems lacks the extensive support by tools vendors. This results in lack of sophisticated tools, which help the developer to overcome the initial training investment, shallowing the learning curve. Thus, the development of formal specification for the systems under construction stays an expensive undertaking, which lacks the immediate results, important for the overall acceptance of formal methods by the industry. In this paper we describe a plugin for the Eclipse IDE, developed to simplify the task of authoring formal specifications in the TLA+ environment. This plugin provides features, expected from an IDE for a common programming language, such as syntax highlighting, autocompletion and execution assistance.

Abstract: Web Service protocol standards should be unambiguous and provide a complete description of the allowed behavior of the protocols_ participants. Implementation of such protocols is an error-prone process, firstly because of the lack of precision and completeness of the standards, and secondly because of erroneous transformation of semantics from the specification to the final implementation. Applying the TLA+ paradigm we first consider the protocol on an abstract level. Safety properties taken from real world scenarios are compared to the facilities of the protocol. As result, we identified some limitation of applicability of the WS-BA protocol to abstract application use cases, modelled from the real world scenarios. These limitations are an omission of possible activities seen in the real world. Further, WS-C and WS-BA make assumptions about the internal structures of the participants, violating SOA paradigm. The former error could be detected by the use of formal methods. The latter can be circumvented by a sophisticated implementation strategy. The proposed strategy of implementing WS-Coordination and WS-BusinessActivity allows non-intrusive integration of the transactional framework, considering SOA requirements. This paper describes the results of analysis and some design decisions taken during the proof-of-concept implementation of WS-C and WS-BA frameworks.

Abstract: This paper reports on the experience gained during a real-world deployment of a sensor network based on the ESB platform in the heathlands of Northern Germany. The goal of the experiment was to gain a deeper insight into the problems of real deployments as opposed to simulated networks. The focus of this report is on the quality of radio links and the influence of the link quality on multi-hop routing.

Abstract: This paper reports on the experience gained during the implementation and operation of an online assessment system for recruitment of engineering and computer science students. We identified problems that have to be solved to make online assessment a worthwhile building block of university admission. The presented work includes techniques for evaluating and monitoring online assessment processes.

Abstract: This paper proposes the sequence of steps that are necessary to produce efficiently working Service Oriented Architecture for cross enterprise business processes and stresses the need for verification and programmatic support at every step of development. Verification of produced models at early stages allows the reduction of mistakes and assures that all important aspects have been included whereas programmatic support reduces the 'double' work and allows reducing project completion time.

Abstract: This paper introduces BGR, a new beacon-less geographic routing algorithm for wireless sensor networks. Data packets are forwarded toward the destination, and nodes which hear the packet compete for becoming the next hop. A recovery strategy is provided for the case of empty forwarding areas. The main innovation is a strategy to avoid simultaneous forwarding situations, which would otherwise cause packet failures. It is confirmed by simulation that BGR sends very few packets and is reliable in fields with sufficiently high node density. Furthermore, BGR is compared with similar algorithms after developing a general framework for beacon-less algorithms with an integrative terminology. Different kinds of forwarding areas are compared.

Abstract: The paper compares two approaches for developing Web service interfaces for the vertical integration of TTP/A fieldbus systems. High-level abstractions are provided by application specific interfaces, generated from metadata describing fieldbus systems. In contrast standardised interfaces such as OPC XML DA only allow lower levels of abstractions. But these enable accessing the fieldbus system from a broad range of standard clients, while high-level abstractions reflecting the application programmer's view on the system facilitate the development of more specific clients and workflows.

Abstract: This paper contributes to the interoperability of web services by proposing the flexible specification technique SXQT in conjunction with the automatic validation, a straightforward approach for detecting non-conformance. SXQT allows different levels of abstraction by specifying individual requirements on a web service's protocol, i.e. its SOAP messages and behaviour including SOAP modules. The automatic validation detects non-conformance by comparing occurring message sequences with the protocol's specification.

Abstract: We describe a use of formal methods to specify and check a Web Services protocol. The Web Services Atomic Transaction protocol was specified in TLA+ and checked with the TLC model checker. A modest effort revealed oversights that caused unanticipated behaviors of the protocol; these were corrected by clarifications and changes to the protocol.

Abstract: This paper presents a data-centric and location-aware procedure to perform in-network evaluation of queries in sensor networks. The algorithm is a hybrid of geographic hash tables and in-network aggregation. It increases data availability and accounts for topology changes and generates mostly local network traffic.

Abstract: This paper presents a generic technique to expose data and control of fieldbus systems to applications located at the level of operational management. To provide a high degree of interoperability between the operational level and different fieldbus systems we utilize standardized techniques such as XML, HTTP, and Web services which can be deployed independently of the platform. The proposed service is based on the interface file system for TTP/A smart transducers. The defined interface provides high level abstractions appropriate for the integration into business applications and considers the latency introduced by the internet protocols.

Abstract: This paper is concerned with the vertical integration of fieldbus systems. It presents a generic technique to expose data and control of fieldbus systems in a semantically rich way to applications located at the level of operational management. To provide a high degree of interoperability between the operational level and different fieldbus systems we utilize standardized techniques such as XML, HTTP, and Web services which can be deployed independently of the platform. The proposed service is based on the interface file system for TTP/A smart transducers. The defined interface provides high level abstractions appropriate for the integration into business applications and considers the latency introduced by the internet protocols. The operations of the service are automatically generated from meta-data descriptions of the smart transducers and their combination into larger clusters.

Abstract: The thesis solves interoperability issues regarding Web Services. The W3C standard for the specification of their interfaces (WSDL) is made more precise. This is done by developing a specification technique (SXQT), that allows specifying interfaces using expressions of first order logic (in XQuery). Compliance with such specifications is checked with the automatic validation.

Abstract: This paper proposes and assesses analytical tools for large-scale monitoring applications with wireless sensor networks powered by energy-harvesting supplies. We introduce the concept of an energy budget, the amount of energy available to a sensor node for a given period of time. The presented tools can be utilized to realize distributed algorithms that determine a schedule to perform the monitoring task and the inherent communication. Scheduling is based on the energy budgets of the nodes or on latency requirements. In this context, we derive theoretical results for the energy consumption of the individual nodes plus the latency of event-reporting. These results are verified by simulations and a real testbed implementation.

Abstract: This report describes usage scenarios of the architecture for indoor navigation and location based services (INLBS) developed in the Airport2030 project. The expandable architecture offers a framework and predefined services with a runtime environment and aims at enabling ubiquitous INLBS in any building with the users’ mobile device. The architecture consists of a mobile user platform (MUP) installed on mobile devices and a stationary facility platform (SFP) which is running on backend servers. For communication between MUP and SFP a communication and positioning infrastructure (CPI) is used. The SFP abstracts from different mobile hardware and communication and ranging technologies for ease of development. A runtime environment contains the service container which invokes life cycle functionality of the different services. Applications which are accessed from the MUP are developed using the services in the service container.

Abstract: This paper presents the design of a universal energy module for wireless sensor nodes, which supports a wide range of energy harvesters and energy storages. The focus is on the efficient conversion and storage of energy and to provide hardware support for higher level management functions. The module facilitates maximum power point tracking to improve the harvester efficiency. By supporting hybrid harvesters, the module can make better use of the time-dependent availability of environmental energy sources.

Abstract: Knowledge of neighboring nodes is a fundamental requirement of many algorithms in the field of wireless sensor networks. The neighborhood relation of nodes is defined by their ability to communicate directly and not by their proximity. Due to the temporal changes of the wireless channel, link qualities must be continuously estimated. In this paper a new approach based on holistic packet statistics is presented. Unlike existing estimation techniques it forswears from squeezing a link's characteristics into a single value. The benefit of this approach is substantiated by an evaluation utilizing real-world and synthetic data.

Abstract: Long living and unattended deployments of wireless sensor networks requires fault-tolerant solutions. Self-stabilizing algorithms are providing these properties in an elegant and verifiable way. Recently, a lot of research has been performed to determine appropriate means to apply these promising technique to wireless sensor networks. In this paper the current state of the art in this field is given. Additionally, three major challenges are presented for achieving self-stabilizing sensor networks.

Abstract: Support for developing energy-efficient applications for wireless sensor networks is still scarce. In this paper a roadmap of a combined hardware and software approach is presented. The main idea is to collect state information and trace energy consumption of an application running in a testbed of real sensor nodes.

Abstract: The exploratory focus of the SomSed research field is the interdisciplinary research on self organizing mobile sensor and data networks. Since the founding of SomSed in 2007, great progress in scientific research has been achieved and much practical knowledge has been gathered using a prototype network permanently installed. This prototype network, from hereon referred to as CampusNet, is the basis for further investigations and offers the possibility to perform long term measurements in a large scale and real environment. The scope of this paper is to outline the current status of the SomSed research field and to briefly discuss future developments.

Abstract: In many application scenarios of wireless sensor networks parts or the whole network consist of mobile sensor nodes. Currently, no common platform is available. This paper describes a project that has developed a mobile sensor node, based on standard components: a Crossbow IRIS mote and LEGO MINDSTORMS NXT components, i.e., motors and sensors.

Abstract: The paper presents an approach of applying DCF77 time radio signals to provide a clock with global time in sensor networks based on TinyOS. Some nodes containing DCF77 receiver hardware reliably decode time signals even if these are distorted to some extent. The clock with global time is provided by compensating clock drift. Time is distributed in the network with a protocol generating timestamps on the MAC layer.

Abstract: Energy-aware task scheduling is a novel research direction for wireless sensor networks. It depends on accurate models for lifetime prediction. In other terms, nodes must be aware of present and future energy resources. This paper addresses the first step towards reaching this goal: It explores discharging-characteristics of supercapacitors, discusses analytical discharging-models for lifetime prediction, and evaluates these models by comparing them with real discharging curves.

Abstract: Recently, Srimani and Xu presented a self-stabilizing algorithm that computes a weakly connected minimal dominating set. They prove an upper bound of O(2^n) until stabilization but they do not provide a lower bound. This paper verifies by giving an example that their algorithm indeed requires O(2^n) moves on a certain graph.

Abstract: The research field "Self organized mobile Sensor and Data-networks" (SomSeD) is introduced. Its purpose is the in- vestigation of Wireless Sensor Networks (WSN). It benefits from interdisciplinary exchange between various institutes of the Hamburg University of Technology (TUHH). Due to different design constraints (such as energy-efficiency and package size) compared to well known classical computer networks, all aspects of the development of WSNs must be reconsidered. This paper describes the advantage of having experts of various faculties both in computer science and electrical engineering in a single research field. In addition to the introduction of the participating institutes, the de- ployment of a WSN on the TUHH campus will be outlined.

Abstract: Neighborhood relations are changing over time in wireless sensor networks due to different hardware or environmental effects. These effects and memory limitations require a balanced neighborhood management to ensure agility, stability, symmetry, and connectivity. The proposed neighborhood management protocol Mahalle is optimized with regard to these four criteria. Agility and stability are achieved by ALE, a new adaptive link estimator.

Abstract: Existing geographic routing algorithms assume a two-dimensional topology. Dedicated wireless sensor network scenarios demand for algorithms that operate in three-dimensional environments. This paper discusses issues which arise when making the step from 2D to 3D. Simulation studies show that 3D routing is less efficient than its 2D counterpart when comparing topologies with the same average node degree.

Abstract: Geographic routing algorithms use locations rather than node addresses as destinations. But since it is not always guaranteed that there is indeed a node exactly at the destination location, there must exist a description which nodes shall be allowed to consume a message. In some cases, the message must not be consumed by a node at another location (e. g., if the sink is the destination), whereas in other cases, nodes in the vicinity may also consume it. This has to be chosen by the application, so the routing protocol should support different delivery semantics. Another question is if only one node may consume the message, or if multiple destination nodes are allowed. This paper proposes three orthogonal delivery parameters: closeness, multiplicity, and accept-outside.

Abstract: This is an addendum to our report "Performance of Lookup Operations in a Hypercube-based P2P Data Store: Theoretical Model and Performance Evaluation". Here we explore two questions: First, what is the probability of a lookup to get lost and, second, what is the probability that it will be duplicated at least once. To this end, we approach the questions on a probability theoretical basis and derive equations for both probabilities, means and variances. Graphs elucidate the behavior of the model.

Abstract: One way for Peer-to-Peer data stores to achieve high data availability is to replicate their data. This is necessary to counter the effects of peer population dynamics also known as churn. A consequence of churn is that locating a data item may require a peer to resend search messages thus introducing additional communication. A formal model of this communication pertaining to data item lookups is introduced and evaluated using simulation in this paper. Results hold true for hypercube-based P2P data stores.

Abstract: This note introduces an approach to monitor the consumption of energy in wireless sensor networks based on video streams composed from sequences of temperature maps. It is used to compare and evaluate beacon-less geographic routing algorithms.

Abstract: Due to the transient nature of peers, any Peer-to-Peer network is in peril to falling apart if peers do not receive routing table updates periodically. To this end, maintenance, which affects every peer, ensures connectedness and sustained data operation performance. However, a high rate of change in peer population usually incurs lots of network maintenance messages and can severely degrade overall performance. We discuss three methods how to tackle and mitigate the effect of peer fluctuation on a tree-based distributed hash table.