Thesis (M.Eng.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, September 2001."August 2001."Includes bibliographical references (leaves 126-127).The growing number of threats to the Earth's environment necessitates the gathering of fine grained environmental sensor data to deepen our understanding of endangered species and assist in their protection. Traditional techniques for gathering environmental data, such as periodic field studies or satellite imaging, do not produce adequately detailed or persistent information. Self-organizing wireless networking provides an ideal way to quickly deploy and gather data from sensor networks in the field. The design of a practical, low-cost, and self organizing wireless sensor network, TephraNet, is examined. This thesis also explores an implementation and deployment of TephraNet in Hawaii Volcanoes National Park to learn about the endangered ground plant Silene hawaiiensis.by Andrew J. Wheeler.M.Eng
