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Student project explores data gathering in hostile environments
By Raghad Al-Majali, Jordan News
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AMMAN — Bashar Ahid Abu Shaar, a Jordanian engineering student, recently won second prize at the Jordanian Engineers’ Association competition with an innovative telecommunication concept. اضافة اعلان
Shaar selected the electrical and communication engineering field for a variety of reasons. He believes that this field opens the doors to different sectors: telecommunications, security, media, and process automation, among many others.
His project, supervised by his university professor, Ala’ khalifeh, focused on integrating secure communications between sensor networks, (a group of sensors that monitor and send data to a central location) and cloud computing, using two methods.
The first system uses an IoT (Internet of Things) gateway to send messages to the cloud. The second system uses a 4G module to send directly to the cloud via HTTP. This process is meant to optimize system performance through the operational data they gather and process in real-time in the field or at edge of a network.
Shaar said he hoped his paper detailing why his method is more efficient and stronger than existing technology will eventually help people set up fast and secure Wireless Sensor Network (WSN) connections to the cloud.
He thinks that his project might benefit society and people in different applications because it can be altered easily depending on use. Different types of sensors can be installed in the WSNs. For example, it can be used in harsh or hostile environments. These difficult conditions create a need for a WSN that can be deployed with minimal risk and used to monitor environmental conditions on the battlefield.
Wireless sensor nodes can be dropped out of a plane into any target area where they immediately begin to relay data and information back to the main location for analysis. Beyond military use, WSNs can be useful in any case where it would be difficult or unsafe for a human to manually collect data that the sensors would collect.
For example, having a sensor node measuring radiation in a nuclear reactor would be safer and cheaper than checking it manually. It can be used in agriculture, to read water levels in the soil to turn sprinklers on.
Shaar came up with his idea when he was invited to join a project funded by the NATO Science for Peace and Security Program.
For now, Shaar clarified that to make his project more practical, he needs to conduct more testing and optimization to the code to perform in a more energy-efficient way.
The young engineer graduated from Rosary Sisters School in Marj Al-Hamam and is currently completing his bachelor’s degree in electrical and communication engineering at the German Jordanian University in Amman, Jordan.
Shaar told Jordan News that he was attracted to engineering from an early age. He was always a problem solver, taking apart objects to learn how they work and then he’d try to put them back together, he said. His favorite subjects in school were math and physics.
The engineer added that he was inspired by his family. “As I grew up, all I wanted to do is follow in my grandfather’s footsteps. Akram Tayel Abu Shaar, who was a brigadier general communication engineer in the army,” he said.
Shaar said the experience he gained throughout the competition was vast. He learned the importance of commitment, developed critical thinking skills, and learned to manage projects, time, and stress.
His main challenge was finding an optimum telecommunication method to connect the wireless sensor network to a cloud while maintaining certain energy consumption requirements, as well as having a high level of encryption to ensure data was transmitted safely.
Shaar said he plans on using engineering to improve people’s well-being, adding that “if the world did not have problems, then engineers would not exist.”
Student Bashar Ahid Abu Shaar is seen in this undated photo. The engineer recently placed second for a project that seeks to establish better connections to the cloud. (Photo: Handout from Bashar Ahid Abu Shaar)
Read more Lifestyle Stories.
Shaar selected the electrical and communication engineering field for a variety of reasons. He believes that this field opens the doors to different sectors: telecommunications, security, media, and process automation, among many others.
His project, supervised by his university professor, Ala’ khalifeh, focused on integrating secure communications between sensor networks, (a group of sensors that monitor and send data to a central location) and cloud computing, using two methods.
The first system uses an IoT (Internet of Things) gateway to send messages to the cloud. The second system uses a 4G module to send directly to the cloud via HTTP. This process is meant to optimize system performance through the operational data they gather and process in real-time in the field or at edge of a network.
Shaar said he hoped his paper detailing why his method is more efficient and stronger than existing technology will eventually help people set up fast and secure Wireless Sensor Network (WSN) connections to the cloud.
He thinks that his project might benefit society and people in different applications because it can be altered easily depending on use. Different types of sensors can be installed in the WSNs. For example, it can be used in harsh or hostile environments. These difficult conditions create a need for a WSN that can be deployed with minimal risk and used to monitor environmental conditions on the battlefield.
Wireless sensor nodes can be dropped out of a plane into any target area where they immediately begin to relay data and information back to the main location for analysis. Beyond military use, WSNs can be useful in any case where it would be difficult or unsafe for a human to manually collect data that the sensors would collect.
For example, having a sensor node measuring radiation in a nuclear reactor would be safer and cheaper than checking it manually. It can be used in agriculture, to read water levels in the soil to turn sprinklers on.
Shaar came up with his idea when he was invited to join a project funded by the NATO Science for Peace and Security Program.
For now, Shaar clarified that to make his project more practical, he needs to conduct more testing and optimization to the code to perform in a more energy-efficient way.
The young engineer graduated from Rosary Sisters School in Marj Al-Hamam and is currently completing his bachelor’s degree in electrical and communication engineering at the German Jordanian University in Amman, Jordan.
Shaar told Jordan News that he was attracted to engineering from an early age. He was always a problem solver, taking apart objects to learn how they work and then he’d try to put them back together, he said. His favorite subjects in school were math and physics.
The engineer added that he was inspired by his family. “As I grew up, all I wanted to do is follow in my grandfather’s footsteps. Akram Tayel Abu Shaar, who was a brigadier general communication engineer in the army,” he said.
Shaar said the experience he gained throughout the competition was vast. He learned the importance of commitment, developed critical thinking skills, and learned to manage projects, time, and stress.
His main challenge was finding an optimum telecommunication method to connect the wireless sensor network to a cloud while maintaining certain energy consumption requirements, as well as having a high level of encryption to ensure data was transmitted safely.
Shaar said he plans on using engineering to improve people’s well-being, adding that “if the world did not have problems, then engineers would not exist.”
Student Bashar Ahid Abu Shaar is seen in this undated photo. The engineer recently placed second for a project that seeks to establish better connections to the cloud. (Photo: Handout from Bashar Ahid Abu Shaar)
Read more Lifestyle Stories.