(Cont'd from Managing Small Data in Huge Quantities)

May 27, 2009 -The Yggdrasil framework was initially developed for the Sun SPOT (Small programmable Object Technology) platform and Sun SPOT wireless sensor devices. The framework is no longer limited to these devices, but some of the earliest real-world applications of Yggdrasil involved Sun SPOTs.

Using the Yggdrasil framework, the Sun SPOT network is collecting and logging data in real time and making it available on the Internet moments after sampling. The Sun SPOT sensors transmit data wirelessly to a network of solar-powered computers at the research station in Panama, which in turn relay the data to researchers at Warren Wilson College (or virtually anywhere else in the world).

"We're extremely excited about the possibilities of this technology for our research," said Warren Wilson College Geography Professor David Abernathy, who is overseeing the implementation of the sensor network. "It will allow students to ask big questions and get meaningful answers."

By basing the Yggdrasil framework on Java technology, Sun has made life much easier for developers. It is possible to write a sensor program in Java, load it on a device, run it on the device and on standard gateways, and even debug it with standard Java IDEs. With Java it's also simpler to migrate applications among platforms, and developers can build new devices using off-the-shelf hardware components, saving money. For the millions of developers who already write code in Java there is little additional learning curve.

"The ubiquity of Java technology opens doors for innovative new Sun SPOT applications," said Roger Meike, research director for Project Sun SPOT, "Yggdrasil and Sensor.network together make it much easier to collect, monitor, analyze and visualize large amounts of sensor data."