Editorial pointers

Editor When embedded network sensing shifted from the laboratory to the natural environment, it was done under the meticulous design of scientists. Computer nodes embedded in the physical world would observe ecosystems, collecting field data intended to give researchers an unprecedented window into how nature works. But like most technologies with great repurposing potential, networked sensing is moving at a far faster and fortuitous pace into the urban landscape, driven more by opportunism than real science. In this month’s cover story “Urban Sensing: Out of the Woods,” Dana Cuff, Mark Hansen, and Jerry Kang of UCLA trace how urban sensing will be “unleashed” in city settings through the proliferation of cell phones, GPS technologies, and RFID tags. Collecting data on citizens brings great opportunities as well as a host of ethical and privacy concerns. The authors call for a collaborative effort among scientists, artists, urbanists, and business people to establish a trustworthy infrastructure for city-based networked sensing.