Sensor Networks
Sensor networks are distributed systems of autonomous devices equipped with sensors to monitor physical or environmental conditions, such as temperature, sound, vibration, pressure, motion, or pollutants. These networks typically consist of spatially distributed sensor nodes that communicate wirelessly to cooperatively pass data through the network to a main location or base station. They are fundamental to applications in Internet of Things (IoT), environmental monitoring, industrial automation, and smart infrastructure.
Developers should learn about sensor networks when building IoT systems, smart cities, industrial monitoring solutions, or any application requiring real-time data collection from multiple distributed sources. This knowledge is crucial for designing efficient data aggregation, low-power communication protocols, and scalable architectures in fields like environmental science, healthcare (e.g., wearable sensors), and agriculture (e.g., precision farming). It enables the creation of responsive, data-driven systems that can operate in remote or harsh environments.