Revitalizing a field wireless network for research, education and outreach at the Harvard Forest

Research in environmental science is increasingly dependent on sensor arrays, computer networks, and near-real-time data processing and visualization. At the Harvard Forest, the Field Wireless Network extends the university computer network into the research forest where there is little or no cell phone reception. Since 2010 the Field Wireless has supported a wide range of research projects with investigators from many different institutions, resulting in (as of March 2021) 27 datasets publicly available online and 291 related scientific publications.

Many of these projects are long-term experiments associated with the LTER and AmeriFlux networks; others are short-term projects by researchers drawn to the Forest because of its infrastructure and long-term data. The Field Wireless enables scientists to monitor and control their equipment and collect data remotely, reducing travel costs and loss of data from problems that would otherwise have gone undetected since the last in-person visit.

In recent years, and especially after the onset of the pandemic, the Field Wireless has supported virtual field trips and remote instruction, broadening the audience and geographic reach of the Forest’s education and outreach efforts. This project will greatly improve the performance of the Field Wireless by significantly increasing network bandwidth and the number of sites with Wi-Fi capability.

These improvements will enable exciting new possibilities for research, including data collection from more extensive sensor arrays, video streaming, and near-real-time ecological forecasting. They will also expand the number and diversity of field sites available for remote instruction, especially benefiting groups that are underrepresented in the sciences and often unable to visit the Forest in person due to distance, cost, or physical accessibility.

Virtual field trips and remote learning via the Field Wireless will remain a major means for a reaching a broader audience long after the pandemic has receded.

This project will expand and revitalize the Harvard Forest Field Wireless Network, which was commissioned in 2010 with support from NSF, DOE, and Harvard University and is jointly managed by the Forest and Harvard Network Operations. The Field Wireless currently provides Internet access to field sites spread across the 375-ha Prospect Hill Tract, including 10 major sites with a walk-in equipment shed, 24-port network switch, and wireless access point (AP), and 10 minor sites with an instrument enclosure and data logger or phenology camera.

Sites are connected by carrier-grade unlicensed spread-spectrum radios: 5.8 GHz radios for tower-to-tower communications with unobstructed line of sight and 900 MHz radios for tower-to-ground communications through the forest canopy. Network bandwidth is limited by the radios and ranges from 2 to 5 Mbps, depending on the site. A dedicated virtual private network (VPN) allows researchers to access their equipment remotely when not at the Forest.

This project will retain the basic design of the Field Wireless but greatly improve its performance by (1) replacing the current radios (which are no longer available) with new radios at least an order of magnitude faster, (2) adding two new experimental sites, (3) adding Wi-Fi capability at nine sites that currently lack it, and (4) augmenting Wi-Fi at four sites that are regularly used for education and outreach. The resulting increase in network bandwidth and Wi-Fi availability will significantly improve support for data-intensive research projects, virtual field trips, and remote instruction; by improving communications, it will also enhance safety for students and scientists working in the Prospect Hill Tract of the Harvard Forest (https://harvardforest.fas.harvard.edu).

This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.