Methods and apparatus, including computer program products, for receiving constraint characterizing data applicable to a sensor network, receiving a logical representation of a requirements specification for the sensor network, and processing the constraint characterizing data and the logical representation of the requirements specification to generate a modular representation of the sensor network. The constraint characterizing data includes physical environment data, sensor constraint data, and application domain data. The modular representation of the sensor network defines sensor node placement and sensor distribution within the sensor network.