EdgeSS: Sensor Synthesis at the Edge

This repository serves as the central collaboration and documentation hub for the EdgeSS (Sensor Synthesis at the Edge: Scalable Environmental Insights from Real-time Data) project.

EdgeSS brings together environmental scientists, data scientists, AI researchers, and cyberinfrastructure experts to develop scalable approaches for integrating real-time environmental sensor data, edge computing, and artificial intelligence. The project focuses on advancing environmental monitoring and decision-making through distributed sensing systems and interoperable data workflows.

The repository supports project coordination, technical documentation, working group activities, meeting materials, and public-facing project communication through an automatically generated website.

Project Objectives

EdgeSS is organized around three environmental challenge areas:

• Invasive Species Monitoring – Tracking and understanding the spread of invasive organisms such as the Spotted Lanternfly using distributed sensing networks and AI-enabled detection systems.
• Forest Disturbance and Ecosystem Response – Investigating how wildfire, drought, insects, and disease influence vegetation dynamics, phenology, and ecological resilience.
• Air Quality and Environmental Health – Examining spatial and temporal patterns in air pollution using real-time environmental sensing and edge-based analytics.

The project leverages emerging cyberinfrastructure, including smart sensors, edge computing platforms, environmental observatories, and AI-driven data processing pipelines to generate actionable environmental insights at scale.

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Repository Structure

This repository is organized as a connected system that supports both project development and public dissemination.

.
├── README.md              # Project overview and repository guidance
├── mkdocs.yml             # Website configuration and navigation
├── docs/                  # Public-facing project website content
├── scripts/               # Site utilities and automation scripts
├── templates/             # Meeting notes and project templates
├── containers/            # Development and deployment environments
└── project folders        # Research materials, workflows, data products, and analyses

Documentation Layer

The docs/ directory contains the source content for the EdgeSS website. Content in this directory is automatically rendered into a public project website using MkDocs.

Examples include:

• Project overview and goals
• Working group information
• Meeting notes and project updates
• Technical documentation
• Training materials and resources
• Project deliverables and outputs

Research and Development Layer

Additional project folders contain the scientific and technical work that supports EdgeSS activities, including:

• Data workflows
• Analysis notebooks
• Edge computing experiments
• Sensor integration documentation
• AI and machine learning workflows
• Figures, reports, and deliverables

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Frequently Updated Files

Common files and locations that project contributors may edit include:

• docs/index.md – Project homepage
• docs/work-plan.md – Project roadmap, milestones, and meeting tracking
• docs/how-this-group-works.md – Collaboration guidelines and team practices
• docs/esiil-resources/ – Shared ESIIL resources and training materials
• docs/instructions/ – Contributor and GitHub guidance
• docs/resources/ – Reference materials and supporting documentation

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Local Development

Install dependencies and start a local preview of the website:

pip install -r requirements.txt
python scripts/generate_image_slots.py
python scripts/site_health.py
mkdocs serve

The site will be available locally and automatically update as documentation changes are made.

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Building the Site

Generate a production build of the website:

python scripts/generate_image_slots.py
python scripts/site_health.py
mkdocs build --strict --clean

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Managing Images and Visual Assets

The website uses semantic image slots to simplify updating project visuals without modifying Markdown references.

Homepage and Shared Images

1. Navigate to the appropriate folder in docs/assets/images/slots/
2. Replace the existing image with a new file
3. Run:

python scripts/generate_image_slots.py

4. Commit both the image and regenerated references

Process Galleries

Process galleries automatically render content placed in:

docs/assets/images/process/

Supported content includes:

• Images (png, jpg, jpeg, webp, svg)
• Deliverables (pdf, html, csv, xlsx, docx, pptx)

Captions may be added using a captions.txt file.

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Site Health Checks

A site health report is generated during each build to help identify:

• Missing files
• Broken references
• Placeholder content
• Navigation issues
• Incomplete template sections

Warnings do not prevent publication but help maintain documentation quality.

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Automated Publishing

The EdgeSS website is automatically built and deployed through GitHub Actions whenever changes are merged into the repository.

This allows project documentation, meeting materials, and public-facing resources to remain synchronized with ongoing project development and collaboration activities.