Programming storage-centric sensor networks with Squirrel
Luca Mottola · 2010
We present Squirrel, a stream-oriented programming framework for storage-centric sensor networks. The storage-centric paradigm---where storage operations prevail over communication activity---applies to scenarios such as batch data collection, delay-tolerant mobile applications, and disconnected operations in static networks. Squirrel simplifies developing such applications by decoupling data processing from storage, and by transparently handling the latter. We achieve this through: i) a modular programming abstraction, and ii) a lightweight run-time layer that efficiently allocates data to different storage areas, based on size vs. energy tradeoffs. We demonstrate Squirrel's effectiveness based on three real-world applications, each representing a different storage-centric scenario. The results show that---while relieving programmers from a significant burden---Squirrel achieves efficient utilization of storage areas, enabling energy savings independently of the storage technology.