NSF1112947

CSR: Small: Collaborative Research: Bridging Reliability Analysis and Reality in Sensor Systems: Theories and Applications

From the viewpoint of researchers, developers, and even consumers, reliability analysis is recognized as an indispensable step before sensor network systems can be widely deployed for mission-critical applications. However, there is a big gap between traditional network reliability analysis theories and realistic sensor network system environments. The primary objective of this research is to close such gap through new metrics, analytical models, and approaches for the reliability analysis of large-scale sensor networks. Specifically, the research has three major components: 1) concepts, metrics, and models for describing the reliability behavior of sensor networks, 2) new algorithms and methodologies for efficient reliability evaluation of sensor networks, and 3) applications/case studies for demonstrating the practical significance of the proposed theoretical approaches. The new reliability theories and methodologies developed through this project are fundamental contributions to the body of knowledge on the network system reliability as well as to the design of reliable sensor systems. Additionally, a software tool and a prototype sensor system for railway monitoring will be built to validate the proposed research, and render the theoretical research operational and applicable. This project has broader impacts through graduate and undergraduate education, and through an integrated outreach and group mentoring program that will promote recruitment and retention of female students in engineering disciplines.

  • Members

    • Dr. Liudong Xing (PI)
    • Dr. Vinod Vokkarane (Co-PI) , UMass Lowell
    • Dr. Chaonan Wang, Ph.D. (May 2014), Research Associate (2014 – August 2015)
    • Dr. Amir Ehsani Zonouz, Ph.D. (August 2015)
    • Ms. Massarrah N. Tannous (REU student), M.S. (August 2015)
    • Mr. Jean E. Pierre (REU student)
    • Mr. Yanhao Zeng (REU student)

  • Collaborators

    • Dr. Yan Sun (PI from University of Rhode Island, NSF 1112935)
    • Mr. Yongbo Zeng (PhD student from University of Rhode Island)

  • Related Publications

Journal Papers

    • L. Xing, P. Boddu*, Y. Sun, and W. Wang, “Reliability Analysis of Static and Dynamic Fault-Tolerant Systems subject to Probabilistic Common-Cause Failures,” Proc IMechE, Part O: Journal of Risk and Reliability, Vol. 224, No. 1, pp.43-53, 2010 (Link).
    • Akhilesh Shrestha*, L. Xing, Yan Sun, and Vinod M. Vokkarane, “Infrastructure Communication Reliability of Wireless Sensor Networks Considering Common-Cause Failures,” International Journal of Performability Engineering, special issue on Dependability of Wireless Systems and Networks, Vol. 8, No. 2, pp. 141-150, March 2012 (Link).
    • Chaonan Wang*, L. Xing, Vinod Vokkarane, and Yan Sun, “Reliability of Wireless Sensor Networks with Tree Topology,” International Journal of Performability Engineering, Short Communications, Vol. 8, No. 2, pp. 213-216, March 2012 (Link).
    • C. Wang*, L. Xing, V. M. Vokkarane, and Y. Sun, “Reliability and Lifetime Modeling of Wireless Sensor Nodes”, Microelectronics Reliability, Vol. 54, No. 1, pp. 160-166, January 2014. (Link).
    • N. Tadayon, A. E. Zonouz*, S. Aissa, and L. Xing, “Cost-Effective Design and Evaluation of Wireless Sensor Networks Using Topology-Planning Methods in Small-World Context,” IET Wireless Sensor Systems, Vol. 4, No. 2, pp. 43-53, June 2014. (Link)
    • Y. Mo#, L. Xing, F. Zhong, Z. Pan, and Z. Chen “Choosing a Heuristic and Root node for Edge Ordering in BDD-based Network Reliability Analysis,” Reliability Engineering & System Safety, Vol. 131, pp. 83-93, November 2014. (Link)
    • A. E. Zonouz*, L. Xing@, V. M. Vokkarane, and Y. Sun, “Reliability-Oriented Single-Path Routing Protocols in Wireless Sensor Networks,” IEEE Sensors Journal, Vol. 14, No. 11, pp. 4059-4068, November 2014. (Link)
    • C. Wang*, L. Xing@, and G. Levitin, “Explicit and Implicit Methods for Probabilistic Common-Cause Failure Analysis,” Reliability Engineering & System Safety, Vol. 131, pp. 175-184, November 2014.(Link)
    • A. E. Zonouz*, L. Xing@, V. M. Vokkarane, and Y. Sun, “Application Communication Reliability of Wireless Sensor Networks,” IET Wireless Sensor Systems, Vol. 5, No. 2, pp. 58-67, April 2015. (Link)
    • Y. Wang*, L. Xing@, H. Wang, G. Levitin, “Combinatorial Analysis of Body Sensor Networks Subject to Probabilistic Competing Failures,” Reliability Engineering & System Safety, Vol. 142, pp. 388-398, October 2015 (Link)
    • C. Wang*, L. Xing@, and G. Levitin, “Probabilistic Common Cause Failures in Phased-Mission Systems,” Reliability Engineering & System Safety, Vol. 144, pp. 53-60, December 2015. (Link)
    • Y. Zeng, Y. Sun, L. Xing, and V. M. Vokkarane, “Online Social Networks Privacy Study Through TAPE Framework,” IEEE Journal of Selected Topics in Signal Processing, Special Issue on Signal and Information Processing for Privacy, vol. 9, no. 7, pp. 1270-1284, Oct. 2015 (Link)
    • C. Wang*, L. Xing, V. M. Vokkarane, and Y. Sun, “Infrastructure Communication Sensitivity Analysis of Wireless Sensor Networks,” Quality and Reliability Engineering International, (accepted) (Link)
    • C. Wang*, A. E. Zonouz*, L. Xing, V. M. Vokkarane, and Y. Sun, “Communication Reliability Analysis of Wireless Sensor Networks Using Phased-Mission Model,” Quality and Reliability Engineering International (under first revision)
    • A. E. Zonouz*, L. Xing@, V. M. Vokkarane, and Y. Sun, “Hybrid Wireless Sensor Networks: A Reliability, Cost and Energy-Aware Approach,” IET Wireless Sensor Systems (submitted and under review)

Conference Papers

    • Chaonan Wang, Liudong Xing, Vinod M. Vokkarane, and Yan Sun, “Reliability Analysis of Wireless Sensor Networks Using Different Network Topology Characteristics,” Proc. of The 2012 International Conference on Quality, reliability, Risk, Maintenance, and Safety Engineering, Chengdu, China, June 2012 (Slides)
    • Chaonan Wang, Liudong Xing, Vinod M. Vokkarane, and Yan Sun, “Manycast and Anycast-Based Infrastructure Communication Reliability for Wireless Sensor Networks,” The 18th ISSAT International Conference on Reliability and Quality in Design , Boston, MA, July 2012 (Slides)
    • Amir Ehsani Zonouz, Liudong Xing, Vinod M.Vokkarane, and Yan (Lindsay) Sun, “K-coverage Reliability Evaluation for Wireless Sensor Networks,” The 18th ISSAT International Conference on Reliability and Quality in Design , Boston, MA, July 2012 (Slides)
    • Amir Ehsani Zonouz, Navid Tadayon, S. Aissa, and Liudong Xing, “Design and Evaluation of Small-World Wireless Ad-Hoc Networks under Rayleigh Fading,” IEEE Global Communications Conference (GlobeCom), Anaheim, CA, USA, December 3-7, 2012, pp. 670-675.
    • Chaonan Wang, Liudong Xing, Vinod M. Vokkarane, and Yan Sun, “Reliability Modeling of Wireless Sensors,” Proc. of The Annual Reliability & Maintainability Symposium, Orlando, FL, January 28-31, 2013, doi: 10.1109/RAMS.2013.6517640.
    • Amir Ehsani Zonouz, L. Xing, V. M. Vokkarane, and Y. Sun, “Application Communication Reliability of Wireless Sensor Networks Supporting K-coverage,” Proc. of 2013 IEEE International Conference on Distributed Computing in Sensor Systems, May 20-23, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA, pp. 430-435.
    • Amir Ehsani Zonouz*, L. Xing, V. M. Vokkarane, and Y. Sun, “A Time-Dependent Link Failure Model for Wireless Sensor Networks,” Proc. of Annual Reliability & Maintainability Symposium, Colorado Springs, CO, January 27-30, 2014.
    • C. Wang*, L. Xing, V. M. Vokkarane, and Y. Sun, “A Phased-Mission Framework for Communication Reliability in WSN,” Proc. of Annual Reliability & Maintainability Symposium, Colorado Springs, CO, January 27-30, 2014.
    • Yongbo Zeng, Yan Sun, L. Xing, and V. M. Vokkarane, “Trust-Aware Privacy Evaluation in Online Social Networks,” Proc. of IEEE ICC 2014 – Communication and Information Systems Security Symposium, Sydney, Australia, June 2014 (38% acceptance rate).
    • Y. Wang*, L. Xing, H. Wang, G. Levitin, and R. Peng, “Combinatorial Analysis of Systems subject to Probabilistic Competing Failures,” presented at the International Conference on Quality, Reliability, Risk, Maintenance, and Safety Engineering, Dalian, Liaoning, China, July 2014; published in Recent Developments on Reliability, Maintenance and Safety, WIT Transactions on Engineering Sciences, Editors: H-Z Huang, Y Liu, Y F Li, WIT press, July 2015.
    • Y. Wang*, L. Xing, H. Wang, and G. Levitin, “Probabilistic Competing Failure Analysis in Body Sensor Networks,” Proc. of The 61st Annual Reliability & Maintainability Symposium, Palm Harbor, FL, January 2015.
    • A. E. Zonouz*, L. Xing, V. M. Vokkarane, and Y. Sun, “Reliability Based Optimization in Hybrid Wireless Sensor Networks,” Proc. of The 61st Annual Reliability & Maintainability Symposium, Palm Harbor, FL, January 2015.
    • Y. Wang*, L. Xing, and H. Wang, “Reliability Modeling of Relay-Assisted Wireless Body Area Networks,” The 62nd Annual Reliability & Maintainability Symposium, Tucson, AZ , January 2016 (abstract accepted, full paper under review).

Research Posters

    • Y. Wang*, L. Xing, and H. Wang, “Probabilistic Competing Failure Analysis of Relay-assisted Wireless Body Area Networks,” UMassD Sigma Xi Research Exhibition, April 2015.
    • A. E. Zonouz*, L. Xing, V. M. Vokkarane, and Y. Sun, “Reliability-Aware Routing and Deployment in Hybrid Wireless Sensor Networks,” UMassD Sigma Xi Research Exhibition, April 2014.
    • C. Wang*, L. Xing, V. M. Vokkarane, Y. Sun, and Y. Wang, “Independent Probabilistic Common-Cause Failure Analysis in Phased-Mission Systems,” UMassD Sigma Xi Research Exhibition, April 2014.
    • Y. Wang*, L. Xing, and H. Wang, “Reliability Analysis of Body Sensor Networks subject to Probabilistic Competing Failures,” UMassD Sigma Xi Research Exhibition, April 2014.
    • Chaonan Wang, L. Xing, V. M. Vokkarane, and Y. Sun, “Infrastructure Communication Based Importance Analysis of Wireless Sensor Networks ,” UMassD Sigma Xi Research Exhibition, April 2013.
    • Amir E. Zonouz, L. Xing, V. M. Vokkarane, and Y. Sun, “A Dynamic Link Failure Model for Wireless Sensor Networks ,” UMassD Sigma Xi Research Exhibition, April 2013.
    • Amir E. Zonouz, L. Xing, V. M. Vokkarane, and Y. Sun, “Application Communication Reliability of Wireless Sensor Networks Supporting K-coverage,” The 18th Annual UMass Dartmouth Sigma-Xi Research Exhibition, April 2012. (Poster)
    • Chaonan Wang, L. Xing, V. M. Vokkarane, and Y. Sun, “Infrastructure Communication Reliability of Wireless Sensor Networks with Tree Topology,” The 18th Annual UMass Dartmouth Sigma-Xi Research Exhibition, April 2012. (Poster)

Seminar/Webinar Talks

    • A. E. Zonouz*, “Reliability Based Optimization in Hybrid Wireless Sensor Networks,” UMass Dartmouth Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering Seminar, April 10, 2015
    • Y. Zeng, “Online Social Networks Privacy Study through TAPE Framework,” UMass Dartmouth Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering Seminar, April 10, 2015
    • C. Wang*, “A Phased-Mission Framework for Communication Reliability in WSN,” UMass Dartmouth Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering Seminar, April 10, 2015
    • C. Wang*, “Sensitivity analysis of wireless sensor networks,” UMass Dartmouth Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering Seminar, December 7, 2012
    • L. Xing, “Reliability Analysis for Wireless Sensor Networks,” American Society for Quality (ASQ) Reliability Division Chinese Webinar Series, November 17, 2012.

Ph.D. Dissertations

    • A. E. Zonouz*, “Application Communication Reliability in Wireless Sensor Networks,” Ph.D. Dissertation, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, UMass Dartmouth, September 2015
    • C. Wang*, “Reliability and Sensitivity Analysis of Complex Systems and Networks,” Ph.D. Dissertation, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, UMass Dartmouth, May 2014

Acknowledgment: This site is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation under Grant No. 1112947 & 1112935. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this site are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation