iSENSE is a web system for aggregating and sharing sensor data collected in educational science experiments and citizen science initiatives. Our goal is to provide a permanent, searchable repository for data collected using classroom probes and other sensor hardware, and to provide the web infrastructure to organize the data for easy retrieval, visualization, and analysis.

The University of Massachusetts Lowell (http://www.uml.edu) and Machine Science Inc. (http://www.machinescience.org) received a collaborative research grant from the National Science Foundation to create the iSENSE web system and the PINPoint data-logging device.

Anyone may view and analyze iSENSE data, using the system's mapping and graphing tools. With a user account, you may define new experiments and contribute data to existing experiments. To create an account, click here (http://isense.cs.uml.edu/rc1/register.php).

PINPoint stands for Portable iSENSE Network Point: a compact data-logging device designed specifically for use with the iSENSE web system. The board features light, temperature, and sound sensors, a three-axis accelerometer, and connectors for a GPS receiver and an external sensor. The device has 2MB of flash memory—sufficient to store more than 30,000 data readings.

The PINPoints are undergoing beta testing during the summer of 2009. A limited number of PINPoints will be made available at no cost to eligible schools during the 2009-2010 academic year. The device will also be available for purchase from Machine Science (http://www.machinescience.org/store).

Data may be uploaded to the system in comma separated value (CSV) format or manually entered into the database. For now, data are retrieved from the PINPoint in CSV format, using a desktop application. Eventually, the web system will import data directly from the device.

For general inquiries or for more information about the iSENSE web technology, please contact Fred Martin (fredm at cs dot uml dot edu). For more information about the PINPoint, please contact Sam Christy (sam at machinescience dot org).