A low-power hardware platform and a software framework to support distributed wireless sensing for unattended ground sensor (UGS) applications has been developed. This platform provides a comprehensive set of hardware capabilities needed to meet the sensing, processing, and communication requirements for UGS, including a 16-channel analog interface, a processor dedicated to managing real-time requirements, dual wireless interfaces, and a low-power system bus to enable system modularity. An open software framework based on the Linux kernel is hosted on the main system processor. This framework incorporates the tools for effectively utilizing the capabilities of the hardware platform and rapidly developing applications in a networked, embedded environment.