Description of terms and phrases used in Silvanet Dryad Documentation.
A
Air quality
Active state
ALOHA
Random access protocol. LoRaWAN networks use an ALOHA-based protocol so end devices do not need to peer with specific gateways.
B
Border Gateway
C
Calibration (Sensor)
Once deployed, the Silvanet Wildfire Sensor needs to perform a 14-day calibration after deployment. This is critical for preparing the Sensor for fire detection. During this period the Sensor does not detect smoldering fires.
Cat-1 (LTE)
Cat-M1 (LTE-M)
CSS (Chirp Spread Spectrum)
LoRA is based on Chirp Spread Spectrum (CSS) where a CHIRP (Compressed High Intensity Radar Pulse) is a type of signal that is the carrier of data. Chirps have two types of signals: up-chirp and down-chirp. An up-chirp increases in frequency while a down-chirp decreases in frequency.
D
Data packets
According to the ISO model, data packets are data units within the Network Layer. They include the source and destination IP addresses, as well as other information. Packets are essentially a connection-oriented protocol. It ensures each single packet is not dropped or compromised. It is considered reliable communication.
Device ID (Serial ID)
A Device ID is a unique identifier of a node in a LoRaWAN network (e.g., Sensor ID, Gateway ID).
In Silvanet, the Device ID is a unique text string which is provided as a QR Code (and NFC in Gen 3 devices). The Device ID is used to register a Silvanet device with the Silvanet Cloud. It allows the Silvanet Cloud to know the location of the device in a deployment Site.
Device Address (DevAddr)
Address by which the device is known in the Mesh network. It is composed of two parts: the address prefix and the network address. It defines an end device within the current network and all communication between devices use it after joining the network.
Downlink messages
Messages sent from Gateways to devices lower down in the hierarchy. For example, messages sent from the Silvanet Cloud to Border Gateways, Border Gateways to Mesh Gateways or Mesh Gateways to Sensors are downlink messages. Satellites do not send downlink messages to Border Gateways.
E
End device
In Silvanet, the end device is a Wildfire Sensor which sends messages over LoRaWAN to Silvanet Gateways (Border or Mesh) and receives messages from these Gateways.
EUI
Extended Unique Identifier. It is a 64-bit unique identifier as defined by IEEE. Dryad assigns a unique identifier (EUI) to each device. Each device's EUI consists of a unique combination of a DevEUI and a JoinEUI.
F
False alerts
During the calibration period and up to one month after deploying, the sensor may trigger false fire alerts. This is normal behavior and is expected.
Fire alerts
Fire intensity
The most important measure of fire behavior is fire intensity. Fire intensity (I) represents the heat released per meter of fire front (kW/m of fire front). It is a function of the following:
Heat yield of fuel (kilojoules/kg)
Amount of fuel per unit area (kg/m2)
Rate of forward spread of fire front (km/h)
Firmware version
Version of the firmware loaded in the device memory.
FUOTA
Firmware Update Over the Air.
FUOTA uses a chunked image transfer (no compression). To allow for any low power periods as well as various regional regulatory requirements, FUOTA processes can be configured to stretch over an extended period such as a week. It can be configured by downlink fragment size and periodicity of transmissions.
The Silvanet Cloud (Network Server) prepares to send updates as a multicast distribution. The firmware is chunked into transmittable parts. The Silvanet Cloud schedules each update chunk as a download message to the multicast group. The Network Server then verifies that each device has received all chunks, synthesizes them and verifies the update signature.
G
Gas scans
The gas sensor runs consecutive gas scans which is the real test for a fire. However since gas scans consume a significant amount of energy, they are kept to a minimum and only start if the sensor detects a change in the gas composition of the air consistent with smoke from a fire.
Gateway ID
I
IAQ
Index of Air Quality. It is an index that has a range of values that indicates or quantifies the quality of the air in the environment surrounding the sensor. The threshold value which triggers a fire detection process is defined by Dryad.
Interactions (with Sensors)
Interacting with a sensor causes the sensor to be recalibrated. Interactions can include touching the sensors in any way, moving the sensors in any way, being in proximity to the sensors and running machinery and vehicles, especially diesel, near the sensor. It can also include bringing any source near the sensor that could trigger the fire detection such as cigarettes and even breathing on the sensor.
IoT
Internet of Things. Silvanet devices are IoT devices.
J
JoinEUI
A 64 bit extended unique identifier.
L
LoRa
LoRA (Long Range) is a proprietary modulation technique by Semtech.
The key advantages for using LoRa is its low power usage and long range. It is ideal for Silvanet devices as they send small amounts of data over long distances periodically (under normal conditions). This allows the devices to operate using solar panels.
It also allows Silvanet Gateways to be located at greater distances from Wildfire Sensors, thus reducing the number of gateways required per deployment.
LoRa networks can achieve a maximum throughput of 50 Kbps (100 bytes/min in normal conditions). Additionally, it is approved as a standard for Low Power Wide Area Networking (LPWAN) by the ITU (International Telecommunication Union). As it operates in the license-free sub-gigahertz bands (such as 915 MHz, 868 MHz and 433 MHz), it is subject to interference and retransmissions.
LoRaWAN
LoRaWAN (LoRa Wide Area Network) is a standard of ITU and is managed by the LoRa Alliance.
LoRaWAN is a Medium Access Control (MAC) Layer protocol that manages communication between Silvanet Gateways and Wildfire Sensors in the Silvanet Network. It is a software built on top of LoRa hardware and defines, amongst other things, when data packets are transmitted and the format of those messages.
LoRaWAN is optimized to operate in low power mode and can transmit as far as 10 km in open fields, less in forests and up to 3 km in urban areas with significant interference. LoRaWAN also allows for firmware updates and updates to the ML Model on sensors over the air (FUOTA).
Each node (device) in a LoRaWAN network contains its own unique Device ID.
LoRaWAN Version
Indicates the MAC layer version used by a Silvanet device, for example MAC_V1_0_3.
LoRaWAN PHY Version
Indicates the PHY Version used by a Silvanet device, for example PHY_V1_0_3_REV_A.
LTE-M
M
Mesh Gateway
Mesh Gateways receives messages from sensors and forwards the messages to other Mesh Gateways or, if in range, to a Border Gateway›. Messages sent from Wildfire Sensors hop through Mesh Gateways until reaching a Mesh Gateway within range of a Border Gateway.
Mesh network
A LAN topology in which nodes can connect directly in a non-hierarchical way to as many other nodes as possible to find the most efficient route to end nodes. Silvanet implements mesh networking.
ML Model
A ML (machine learning) model is a program that has been trained to recognize certain types of patterns. In Silvanet, the ML Model has been trained to recognize certain types of patterns, in this case the gases from a smoldering fire.
ML Version
A version of the Machine Learning (ML) model loaded in the memory of the Silvanet Device. It is updated to all sensors in a Site using FUOTA.
MQTT
MQTT is a Client Server publish/subscribe messaging transport protocol that is lightweight, open, simple, and designed to be easy to implement. It is typically used for communication in Machine to Machine (M2M) and Internet of Things (IoT) contexts where a small code footprint is required and/or network bandwidth is at a premium. It is used by third-parties to communicate with a Silvanet Network.
N
Narrowband IoT (NB-IoT)
NB-IoT is a LPWA (Low Power Wide Area) network technology designed for IoT devices. Silvanet Border Gateways offer NB-IoT in regions where Cat-M1 is not available on cellular networks.
Network Server
In the Silvanet System, the Network Server is the Silvanet Cloud which manages the entire Silvanet network. If It receives multiple copies of the same message, it keeps a single copy of the message and discards the others (preventing message duplication).
NS Gateway ID
O
OTAA
P
Packet (deployment)
A Deployment Packet defines the Silvanet Wildfire Sensors and Gateways deployed (or in the process of being deployed) in a Site. It typically include the planned deployment locations of the devices. More than one Packet can be prepared for Site deployments. They are prepared using the Site Management app and made available in the Silvanet Deployment app.
Phase 1 alert
A Phase 1 alert is not necessarily an indicator of a fire. However, when a Silvanet sensor triggers a Phase 1 alert (yellow), it indicates a deterioration in air quality in the surrounding environment. Phase 1 alerts are used to reduce the number of gas scans (which check for fire) and only do so when there is a change in the gas composition of the air.
Phase 2 alert
If the sensor determines a fire is the most likely cause for the deterioration of air quality (which is indicated by a Phase 1 alert), the sensor immediately issues a Phase 2 fire alert sent to the Site's registered users.
PoE Injector (PoE adapter)
Power saving mode
S
Sensor (Silvanet Wildfire)
The Silvanet Wildfire Sensor is designed to detect forest fires during the early stages (even during the smoldering phase) within minutes. The sensor monitors the microclimate by measuring temperature, humidity and air pressure.
Sensor ID
Serial ID
Site
A Site is a geographical area which has a dimension that is dynamically calculated based on the placement of Silvanet devices in a forest. Sites are defined using the Planning Tool in the Site Management app.
Site ID
It appears in the URL of a Site as well as the breadcrumbs line when a Site is opened. For example, dryad.app/sites/<Site ID>
.
Smoldering fire
A smoldering fire is defined to be a slow, flameless combustion of a biomass material such as forest floor material, branches, leaves, and so on that could lead to a wildfire if left unchecked.
Supercapacitor
A supercapacitor is a high-capacity capacitor that can accept and deliver charges faster than batteries and tolerates many more charge and discharge cycles than rechargeable batteries.
U
Uplink Messages
Transmissions sent by end-devices (Wildfire Sensors) to the Network Server relayed by one or many Gateways. Satellites only receive Fire Alerts messages from Border Gateways.
V
VOC
A VOC (Volatile Organic Compound) is an organic chemical compound that evaporates easily at room temperature. They vaporize into air and dissolve in water, for example smoke from fires. Organic compounds are chemicals that contain carbon and are found in all living things, especially trees. VOCs are also emitted from, for example, oil and gas fields and diesel exhaust which is why the sensors use ML Models to distinguish between VOCs from fires and VOCs from other sources.
The US EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) defines VOCs as follows:
Volatile organic compounds (VOC) means any compound of carbon, excluding carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, carbonic acid, metallic carbides or carbonates and ammonium carbonate, which participates in atmospheric photochemical reactions, except those designated by EPA as having negligible photochemical reactivity.
W
Wildfire Sensor