The problem of minimizing the number of optical nodes with signal regeneration capability can be constrained to guarantee a desired degree of end-to-end connectivity in the all-optical transport network. The problem can be formulated using a $k$-connected, $k$-dominating node set, which is a known approach in mobile ad hoc wireless networks. This talk presents a preliminary study aimed at establishing whether efficient centralized solutions to this problem in optical networking ought to be investigated to improve the decentralized solutions already available for wireless networks.

Wireless Sensor Nodes (WSNs), small deployable platforms which capture data using their sensors and deliver it to the user are a widely growing field of study because of their capacity to deliver data that would otherwise not be available. The UTD Mote System, UTMOST, is such a wireless sensor node, fully designed at The University of Texas at Dallas, which improves upon WSNs platforms previously available by enabling an even lower power consumption while providing the full functionality, improved storage and communications that these platforms often lack. The talk will present the design and applications aspects of the UTMOST, as well as future work.