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“The Potential of Ubiquitous Sensing” Sharor L. Wood wins EERI's 2010 Distinguished Lecture Award - Download PowerPoint presentation [12Mb].
 During the past decade, our expectations regarding mobile computing and connectivity have increased exponentially. With smart phones, we can remain in constant contact with the internet, receive immediate notification of each email message, and know our exact location at any time. If the bandwidth issues could be resolved, one could easily envision post-earthquake rescue service similar to those currently used to deploy emergency responders after automobile crashes, as most current hardware already includes GPS chips and MEMS accelerometers. Similarly, structural engineers could define thresholds of response before an earthquake and sensor systems deployed within buildings and bridges could automatically trigger yellow or red flags based on the measured response.
Smart meters for electric power consumption, and the associated software, provide a model for how we can improve our existing infrastructure. The Google website includes testimonials from beta testers who have dramatically reduced their power bills by understanding how each of their electrical appliances contributes to the total consumption. Their byline “You can measure it… You can improve it…” also applies to structural performance. Ignoring for the moment that damaging earthquakes are rare events, side-by-side comparisons of various schemes for rehabilitation and strengthening of existing structures could lead to the development of field-tested recommendations for individual structural systems of specific ages. Biographical Information Sharon L. Wood is the Robert L. Parker, Sr. Centennial Professor and Chair of the Department of Civil, Architectural, and Environmental Engineering at the University of Texas at Austin. Wood’s research interests are related to improving the performance of reinforced concrete structures during earthquakes, improving the durability of structural concrete bridges under service loads, and developing sensor systems to monitor structural performance. She is a member of the Structural Concrete Building Code Committee within the American Concrete Institute and the Advisory Committee on Earthquake Hazards Reduction for the National Earthquake Hazards Reduction Program. Groups who wish to invite Professor Woods to present the lecture should contact our office .
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