Service-oriented multi-agent systems: architecture for the sensor web

Abstract

Understanding the behaviour of ecosystems requires persistent and multi-modal observation. Advances in sensor technology and distributed computing, coupled with the development of open standards that facilitate sensor/sensor network interoperability, are contributing to the emergence of a phenomenon known as "Sensor Web". This phenomenon can be described as an advanced Spatial Data Infrastructure (SDI) in which different sensors and sensor networks are combined to create a macro-instrument with massive sensing capability. The Sensor Web opens up avenues to fast assimilation of data from various sensors and to accurate analysis and informed decision making. In this poster, authors present reference architecture for the Sensor Web that could serve as a potential candidate SDI for the South African Environmental Observation Network (SAEON). This architecture is a hybrid of the Foundation for Intelligent Physical Agents (FIPA) and Open Geospatial Consortium (OGC) standard architectures