Coalescing simulation and embedded WSN application development

Application development for Wireless sensor networks (WSNs) is complex as it unites the challenges of distributed applications and embedded programming. Unpredictable environmental influences and the size of the networks further complicate this situation. To master these issues, developers employ simulations to test and optimize applications in a controllable environment before porting the application to a target platform. To bridge the gap between simulation and application development, a number of approaches exist. We argue that these approaches often blur the view on the actual problem and thus hinder productive application development. To improve this situation, we propose an integrated process for WSN protocols that follows the subsequent phases of software design and provides appropriate tools and abstractions for each stage. We sketch how it has been realized using the WSN simulation framework Shawn and the iSense hardware platform.