Sensor Float: A Networked Sensor Platform for Largescale Data Collection

Xeroxs Palo Alto Research Center (PARC), in collaboration with SIO, is developing a low cost, robust sensor platform capable of recording and reporting data and surviving in remote harsh environments for up to one year. The platform is entirely self-contained, powered by solar panels and backup batteries, with a large array of sensors, compute module for onboard data processing, and satellite modem for data reporting. The platform architecture is flexible and can be customized for a specific purpose. The complete data record is stored locally and processed by the onboard compute module, which runs anomaly detection algorithms that indicate activity in the area. Anomalous data, as well as baseline environmental data, are reported to a cloud database using satellite short burst data transmission. Though each independent sensor platform is a powerful sensing tool, the low cost permits large scale deployment. Hundreds or thousands of systems can be deployed over vast geographical areas and report to a remote database where cloud based machine learning algorithms can both develop global situational awareness and update local system algorithms based on learnings across the full network. Our first test of this system will be a set of ocean drifters to monitor sea state and enhance maritime awareness.