Existing programming systems and tools for observing systems are primitive and do not promote much code reuse. There is a pressing need for revisiting sensor network architecture to increase reusability and manageability, as well as higher-level programming abstractions that can help reduce the development cycle. This poster illustrates three on-going efforts that address these challenges. The Tenet project proposes a novel architecture for sensor networks that simplifies application development and improves system manageability and robustness, while the Vango and Kairos projects significantly raise the level of abstraction to the point where programmers need not concern themselves with communication and resource management issues.