Wireless Sensor Network Based Technologies For Critical Infrastructure Systems

This chapter presents an overview on how wireless sensor networks(WSN) can be used in critical infrastructure systems (CIS). First, the architecture of a typical sensor node is presented, and it is shown how these nodes can be grouped to form a network. Then, the requirements of a traditional WSN (such as low complexity, energy efficiency, scalability, or self-organization) are given, and those special requirements are highlighted that are characteristic to CIS: reliability, availability, real-time operations, security, etc. Currently available sensing and communication technologies that best fit these special requirements are also given. In the second part of the chapter some specific use cases are described: WSN for water system monitoring, electric power system monitoring, and nuclear reactor monitoring.