Poster abstract: cooperative tracking with binary-detection sensor networks

ABSTRACT

We present a novel method for tracking the movement of people or vehicles in open outdoor environments using sensor networks. Unlike other sensor network-based methods, which depend on determining distance to the target or the angle of arrival of the signal, our cooperative tracking approach requires only that a sensor be able to determine if an object is somewhere within the maximum detection range of the sensor. We propose cooperative tracking as a method for tracking moving objects and extrapolating their paths in the short term. By combining data from neighboring sensors, this approach enables tracking with a resolution higher than that of the individual sensors being used. We employ statistical estimation and approximation techniques to further increase the tracking precision, and to enable the system to exploit the tradeoff between accuracy and timeliness of the results. We analyze the behavior of the cooperative tracking algorithm through simulation, focusing on the effects of approximation techniques on the quality of estimates achieved. This work focuses on acoustic tracking, however the presented methodology is applicable to any sensing modality where the sensing range is relatively uniform.

REFERENCES

• 1: S. Graham and P. R. Kumar. The convergence of control, communication, and computation. In Proceedings of PWC 2003: Personal Wireless Communication, September 2003.
• 2: T. He, C. Huang, B. Blum, J. A. Stankovic, and T. Abdelzaher. Range-free localization schemes in large scale sensor networks. In Range-Free Localization Schemes in Large Scale Sensor Networks, September 2003.
• 3: J. Liu, J. Reich, and F. Zhao. Collaborative In-Network Processing for Target Tracking. EURASIP Journal of Applied Signal Processing, 2003(4):378--391, 2003.
• 4: K. Mechitov, S. Sundresh, Y. Kwon, and G. Agha. Cooperative tracking with binary-detection sensor networks. Technical Report UIUCDCS-R-2003-2379 , University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, September 2003.

INDEX TERMS

Primary Classification:
  J. Computer Applications
  J.m MISCELLANEOUS

General Terms:
Algorithms, Experimentation, Performance

Keywords:
cooperative tracking, sensor networks, target tracking