Motes, Utility Fog, Smart Dust & Climate Change

I've been fascinated by the idea of Smart Dust (also known as Motes) since I started doing research on how researchers calculate the global average temperature and thus decide if we are going through a period or trend of global warming or cooling. The past (and current as far as I know) method for calculating these global temperature averages involve data from land based weather stations combined with satellites in the lower troposphere and marine reports (among other methods).  

This methodology has many weaknesses:

• The land based weather stations are sprinkled around the globe but not evenly and in some cases, very far apart from one another;
• Different weather stations use different equipment for measuring temperature (some use older technology, for example);
• Not every location on the Earth even has weather stations and/or shares that data;
• There is no universally accepted "normal" temperature for Earth, yet climate data is generally reported as a departure from "normal";
• The weather stations, satellites, and ships are all at different elevations, wind conditions, latitude and longitude; adjustments for these factors are imperfect at best;
• There are dozen of different weather organizations (NOAA, NASA, EPA, GOAA, etc.) all measuring average global temperature with different results!

If you are interested in learning more, there is a great related article from NASA:

The Elusive Absolute Surface Air Temperature (SAT)

Now, some very cool reading on the topic of SmartDust and related technology:

SmartDust communication systems in the future world

The Inevitability of SmartDust
Graphene-based nano-antennas may enable cooperating smart dust swarms

In a very generalized nutshell, SmartDust or motes are teensy-tiny computers that have the ability to network. They are part of the now much-talked-about "Internet of Things". These tiny computers could in theory be programmed to check anything, weather/temperature included. 

I see huge possibility in terms of more accuracy with climate trends and even weather predictions.  With networked capability, and even the capability to fly or swim, they could reach areas of the Earth for temperature readings that are currently not possible or practical, such as the bottom of the ocean or the top of a mountain. SmartDust could be sprinkled in a much broader swath of Earth, Sky and Water, even maybe underground in caverns.  

Since these tiny computers could be programmed remotely to use the same methods of temperature measurement, be directed to migrate to the same exact elevation at the exact same time, synchronize data collection rates, or even travel an entire area in a swarm checking temperatures at various spots and various levels to get a more accurate average temperature, it would seem we could get a more universal, real-time weather trend than is possible today.

This is exactly how a major character in my novel does her climate change predictions!