December 23, 2002
HPWREN Provides SDSU Researchers with Direct Link to Remote Field Equipment
Thanks to a partnership between the San Diego State University (SDSU) and the University of California at San Diego, the HPWREN research project has recently added SDSU as a backbone node on its 45Mbps network.

December 10, 2002
HPWREN Students Continue Network Measurement and Analysis Research
Since Summer 2002, HPWREN student researchers Jeff Baker, William Gahr, and Zhao Li have been concentrating their efforts on network measurement, analysis, and documentation.

November 15, 2002
UCSD and CalTrans Connect Sensors on Kings Stormwater Channel Bridge to HPWREN
Last month, installation of structural monitoring sensors on the Kings Stormwater Channel Bridge was completed and connected to HPWREN. Researchers are now able to monitor real-time structural response of the bridge via instruments such as accelerometers and strain gauges that stream information directly from the bridge to UCSD and California Department of Transportation (CalTrans) laboratories.

November 1, 2002
HPWREN Stretches 72 Miles from the Coast to Support Research Site on San Clemente Island
Last month, the HPWREN team collaborated with the Space and Naval Warfare Systems Center San Diego (SSC San Diego) to provide high-speed network access to a field science site on San Clemente Island. The 72-mile link is by far the longest of HPWREN access links that operate within the unlicensed 2.4GHz band.

October 29, 2002
Tribal Digital Village Network Expands to Southeastern San Diego Tribes
San Diego State University's Mount Laguna Observatory recently collaborated with HPWREN and the Tribal Digital Village Network (TDVNet) to provide high-speed Internet access to the La Posta, Manzanita, and Campo Native American reservations, which are located in southeastern San Diego county.

October 11, 2002
Two-Week Pilot Study Examines Nearshore Currents and Waves at Black's Beach: Scientists Monitor Real-Time Data with HPWREN-Like Technology
Scientists from the Scripps Institution of Oceanography (SIO) Integrative Oceanography Division (IOD) and Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) are currently conducting a two-week pilot study that uses 802.11b technology to help them examine surf zone water motions in real-time.

September 24, 2002
San Diego County Sheriff's Department, UCSD, SDSU, and SSC-San Diego Researchers Collaborate for Real-Time Sensor Telemetry Instrumentation Atop Laguna Mountains
Earlier this month, the HPWREN team participated in an activity that instrumented a Mount Laguna wireless communications facility with several real-time data sensors. Specifically, researchers affiliated with UCSD's HPWREN and ROADNet, SDSU's Field Stations Program, and SSC-San Diego's Crisis/Consequence Management Initiative deployed nine sensors that will allow for real-time environmental monitoring.

September 5, 2002
HPWREN Adds Another Node to its 45 Mbps Backbone: Toro Peak Antennas Provide Remote Scientists and Educators with High-Speed Network Connectivity
Last month, the HPWREN team completed a 70-kilometer link using 45 Mbps radios between Toro Peak and Mount Laguna to provide Internet connectivity to Toro Peak and beyond. Not only does the Toro node allow field seismologists and ecologists access to a high-speed network, but it will also provide educators on the rural Santa Rosa Native American Reservation with a broadband connection to the Internet.

August 23, 2002
Researchers Continue to Examine HPWREN Connectivity Between Ground Station and Airplane
UCSD and SDSU researchers recently collaborated for a high performance data communications demonstration involving a research airplane and a ground station. The experiment is the second in a series of multiple tests that evaluate the use of radios that communicate using the unlicensed spectrum with a nearby airplane.

August 9, 2002
UCSD Department of Structural Engineering Partners with HPWREN for Connectivity at Camp Elliott Field Laboratory: Broadband Installation Supports CalTrans and NSF NEES Research
The HPWREN team recently worked with UCSD Department of Structural Engineering field researchers for an installation at Camp Elliott. The facility, which is located about eight miles east of UCSD, is currently being used by the engineering researchers as a seismic test facility and is now linked to the 2.4 Ghz portion of HPWREN.

July 16, 2002
HPWREN Study Examines Impact of Broadband Connectivity Upon Ecological Field Research
The HPWREN team recently completed a social science study focused on the diffusion of the network within the 4500-acre Santa Margarita Ecological Reserve (SMER). Recently deployed sensors and high-resolution cameras allow researchers from throughout the world to conduct their studies at SMER­and receive their sensor and camera data via the Internet. That is, the collected ecological data travels via the Internet (originating with the HPWREN connection) from dataloggers and cameras in the field directly to the researcher’s computer.

June 24, 2002
HPWREN Collaborates with San Diego Sheriff's Department for Tower Installation Atop Mount Laguna
The HPWREN team recently transitioned one of their backbone nodes from Stephensen Peak to Mount Laguna - thanks to a collaboration with the San Diego Sheriff's Department, which provided the UC San Diego and San Diego State researchers with access to their communications facility.

June 3, 2002
HPWREN Users Workshop Focuses on Current and Future Network Applications
On May 18, HPWREN users ranging from astronomers to educators met to discuss their current uses of the network and how they plan to utilize the connectivity for future applications as well. The meeting was hosted by San Diego State University's Mount Laguna Observatory director Paul Etzel, who also spoke at the workshop. Additional speakers included HPWREN PI Hans-Werner Braun, HPWREN co-PI Frank Vernon, Greg Aldering from the Palomar Observatory, Dan Cayan from the Scripps Institution of Oceanography, Mike Peralta from the Tribal Digital Village Network, and Pablo Bryant from the SDSU Santa Margarita Ecological Reserve.

May 24, 2002
Wireless Connectivity Enables Sensors on Coronado Bridge
On May 15, the HPWREN and ROADNet teams participated in a UCSD activity that demonstrated an ad-hoc and temporary multi-media installation of seismic and visual instrumentation at the Coronado Bridge. The installation provided wireless IP access, using off-the-shelf 802.11b technology, from the bridge to the UCSD campus, where participants examined and discussed the feasibility of a permanent networked monitoring system of this type. The system would specifically be used for UCSD research aimed at the crisis management community.

May 16, 2002
HPWREN Collaborates with UCSD Academic Computing Services for Wireless Connectivity at 2002 CENIC Conference
For the second year in a row, the HPWREN team worked with UCSD Telecommunications to provide the Corporation for Education Network Initiatives in California (CENIC) annual conference with wireless connectivity. Additional collaborators in the activity included UCSD Media Services and Cisco Systems.

April 30, 2002
SDSU Collaborates with HPWREN to Test High Performance Wireless Connection with Airplane
San Diego State University's Global Change Research Group (GCRG) and Field Station Programs recently collaborated with HPWREN to develop and test a high performance data communications link between a research airplane and a ground station. Rommel Zulueta, a doctoral student in the GCRG's program as well as the airplane pilot; along with Pablo Bryant, research technologist from SDSU's Field Station Programs; and HPWREN's Todd Hansen and Hans-Werner Braun ran their first flight test in a San Diego inland area on April 9.

April 15, 2002
Swiss Botanist Studies Southern California Wildlife Using HPWREN-Connected SMER Camera
When Rolf Baumberger, a biology researcher at the University of Zurich in Switzerland, studies southern California wildlife, he no longer has to buy a plane ticket to San Diego. Instead, he logs onto a computer. Together with Santa Margarita Ecological Reserve Director Claudia Luke, Education and Outreach Coordinator Adrienne Marriott, and Student Conservation Association Intern Maria Wiehe, Baumberger will use HPWREN's camera stations at the Santa Margarita Ecological Reserve to determine the role of hummingbirds, bees, and moths in the pollination of bush monkey flower, Mimulus aurantiacus.

March 25, 2002
San Diego Native American Communities Continue Transition from HPWREN to Tribal Digital Village Network
The Southern California Tribal Chairmen's Association (SCTCA) recently completed additional milestones in their efforts to transition HPWREN to their Tribal Digital Village Network (TDVNet), which continues its expansion to reach all 18 San Diego County reservations. Earlier this month, the tribes added another antenna on a Palomar Mountain relay station. This relay, which is often referred to as Cluster 1, connects three Native American tribes to broadband telecommunications - allowing the tribal communities to have the same access to high-speed Internet as their urban counterparts.

February 13, 2002
Wireless Tests Aboard US Navy Ship Include Exploration of USN/SIO SeaLab II
Earlier this month, the U.S. Navy Deep Submergence Unit (USN-DSU) brought their ship, the Kellie Chouest, as well as the Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV) Scorpio, to the waters off Scripps pier. Their mission: to locate and dive the site of SeaLab II, a USN/SIO undersea habitat that operated in August-October 1965. This would be the first return to the site since the habitat was pulled up. This cruise was a regularly scheduled training exercise for the USN-DSU personnel; however, several guests (including UCSD faculty and staff) were able to join the crew for a day-long excursion.

January 30, 2002
HPWREN Team Experiments with Small, Low-Power Network Performance Measurement Machines for User Sites
While network measurement machines typically consist of relatively large desktop or rack-mountable computers, the HPWREN team is currently experimenting with a 3"x3"x3" computer that examines the quality of links at user sites. An early deployment includes the Pala Native American Learning Center, which is connected to HPWREN. This machine allows for reachability as well as throughput tests and is available for additional applications, such as weather stations.

January 4, 2002
HPWREN Collaborates with Palomar College and SCTCA's Tribal Digital Village: Computer Science Class Includes Multicast Technology Experiments
Last semester, the HPWREN team worked with Palomar College and the Southern California Tribal Chairmen's Association (SCTCA) Tribal Digital Village Network to offer a Computer Science and Information Systems course for local Native American reservations. The course was primarily taught in traditional classroom style at the Pala Learning Center for Pala, La Jolla, Rincon, and San Pasqual tribal members.

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