SpyGlass: A Wireless Sensor Network Visualizer

In this paper we present a modular and extensible visualization framework for wireless sensor networks. These networks have typically no means of visualizing their internal state, sensor readings or computational results. Visualization is therefore a key issue to develop and operate these networks. Data emitted by individual sensor nodes is collected by gateway software running on a machine in the sensor network. It is then passed on via TCP/IP to the visualization software on a potentially remote machine. Visualization plug-ins can register to different data types, and visualize the information using a flexible multi-layer mechanism that renders the information on a canvas. Developers can easily adapt existing or develop new custom tailored plug-ins for their specific visualization needs and applications.