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Principal Investigator: Gerald Masson (JHU-WSE)

Investigators:

• Mike Burmester (FSU)
• Andreas Terzis (JHU)

Project Objectives:

New technologies are needed for intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance around high consequence target such as chemical or nuclear power plants. Another application area of importance is landslide prediction. The projects we will explore and develop will study the adoption of Wireless Sensor Network (WSN) technologies in real operational scenarios addressing preparation and response to critical events. Our plan is to develop a concept of operations that complements and extends the use of traditional standoff target recognition. Furthermore, we will investigate the potential of WSN observation systems provided by imaging sensors.

The projects will also analyze the effective exploitation of multiple sensing modalities as the key enabler for tactical sensor networks used for target recognition by first responders to a critical event. In this context, additional modalities will be used to coordinate line of sight imaging-based systems whose effectiveness is reduced, for example, by urban structures and challenged by intelligently maneuvering targets.

The WSN systems which we envision developing will densely deploy low-cost non-imaging sensors to provide early detection and partial localization of target signatures. These sensors will subsequently direct standoff imaging sensors to focus on potential target objects. Through coordination between imaging and non-imaging sensors, the system will establish signatures of specific objects detected by imaging sensors in an alternative non-imaging sensing modality.

Project Summary & Planned Activities:

We will investigate the potential of using wireless sensor network technology to track the location and status of first responders operating at the scene of an incident. As a deliverable, we envision providing an operational prototype of a system of unobtrusive devices worn by the first responders that will collaboratively track the location of each member of the team and alert others via the on board wireless radio in the case of an emergency.

A surveillance sensor network prototype will be developed and deployed for experimental evaluation regarding tracking a high-priority target. The goal is to employ the network such that it is able to detect an attack and notify first responders that arrive in the area. The movements and status of the first responders will be coordinated and monitored by a combination of the static WSN deployed at the site and the sensor nodes carried by the first responders. Sensor networks utilized for landslide prediction will be investigated and a prototype will be developed and deployed in the field. Our intention is to achieve high prediction accuracy even in the presence of significant noise of sensor data being collected.

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