[SensorML] Defining XML Outputs

[Kris McGlinn]

Hey Guys,

I am working on a project called NEMBES and we are considering using 
sensorML as a basis for describing sensors. I have been looking at the 
documentation and much of our own work on defining sensor systems 
overlaps with sensorML...which makes the use of sensorML all the more 
attractive as a good standard to tie our own models into.

I have two question really. the first is regarding defining outputs in 
sensorML. If you wish to define an output as an xml message,for example 
something like:

<zigbee><trasmitterid>999</transmitterid><hertz>23</hertz></zigbee>

How would you go about doing that? Is that what the encoding section is 
for? how would a data output like that look in sensorML? In the examples 
given, most outputs are defined as decimal values to decimal values etc. 
How would you go about defining the actual structure of a xml output? 
This would be useful to know on two accounts, as systems with sensorML 
definitions of sensors could cross reference an input to this model and 
infer the type of sensor it is dealing with...

Also, I notice in the data types section you have a quality and category 
defined. Now lets say I have a sensor that is converting a hertz input 
into a distance output (after calibration of course), but this 
transformation is also influenced by different factors which introduce 
noise/inaccuracy to the signal. I wish to define different levels of 
accuracy at different levels of granularity from the origin of the 
transceiver...so to make that more clear, if the transmitter is close to 
the transceiver, you can expect a certain output with a certain level of 
accuracy, but as you move further away that information becomes 
gradually less reliable. I want to represent that in the sensorML model.

I hope those two questions are clear!

All help is much appreciated,

Thanks,

Kris.

-- 
Kris McGlinn, MSc.
Ph.D Student
Knowledge & Data Engineering Group
Room 111, Computer Science, Trinity College Dublin
+353 (0)1 896 8431