System to monitor the health of a structure, program product and related methods

A system to monitor the health of the structure, program product, and associated methods are provided. The system can include multiple health monitoring sensor nodes each including a sensor element connected to or embedded within the body of a structure to be monitored and positioned to monitor parameters of a portion of the body of the structure. The sensor nodes are spatially positioned along the body of structure at related or complementary locations to form a special correlative relationship between sensor nodes. The system can also include a data collector having a transceiver positioned to gather sensed parameter data from each of the sensor nodes. The system can also include a central computer in communication with the data collector and including in memory parameter process program product adapted to analyze the sensed parameter data, correlate the sensed parameter data to infer a state of health of the structure responsive to the correlation, and to detect or otherwise determine a type, severity, and/or location of damage to or incipient failure of the structure.