An overview of wireless sensor networks: Towards the realization of cooperative healthcare and environmental monitoring

Wireless Sensor Networks constitute one of the highest developing and most promising fields in modern data communication networks. The benefits of such networks are expected to be of great importance, since applicability is possible in multiple significant areas. The research community's interest is mainly attracted by the usability of sensor networks in healthcare services and environmental monitoring. This overview presents the latest developments in the field of sensor-based systems, focusing on systems designed for healthcare and environmental monitoring. The technical aspects and the structure of sensor networks are discussed, while representative examples of implemented systems are also provided. This chapter sets the starting point for the development of an integrated cooperative architecture capable of widely providing distributed services based on sensed data.