Development and testing of a second generation wireless hurricane wind and pressure monitoring system

A second generation sensor network used for characterization of the impact from hurricane storms on man made structures is described. The network consists of sensor units attached to the structure under consideration, a base unit which orchestrates the measurements over a wireless interface and appropriate wireless and wire line backhaul that delivers the data to a central server. At the central server, the measurements are analyzed and presented in a near “real time” fashion. Unlike most of the sensor networks used for wind monitoring which are hardwired, the network described in this paper uses wireless communication interfaces. This allows for a flexible and fast network deployment that is non-intrusive to the monitored structure. The network is designed to collect pressure readings from sensor units, wind speed, wind direction and temperature during the entire period of the hurricane storm.