NeTS: Small: Target Monitoring with Low-Cost Sensor Networks

大多数利用传感器网络进行目标监控的研究都需要知道传感器的地理位置。然而，在实践中，并不是每个传感器节点都有内置的类似GPS的能力。另一方面，对于大型网络来说，将定位过程应用于所有传感器节点可能是昂贵的。即使许多传感器的位置信息可以计算出来，也可能永远不会被使用，因为目标通常看起来非常稀疏。因此，该项目解决了低成本传感器网络环境中的目标监控问题，在低成本传感器网络中，传感器节点不需要内置能力来确定其位置。取而代之的是，跳数信息是跟踪目标的主要信息来源。这些挑战来自未知的机动性和目标的性质，以及Hopcount数据的粗略。如果有多个移动目标，并且不知道它们是成群移动还是独立移动，问题就会变得更加复杂。该项目的研究目标是设计和实现一个新的解决方案框架来应对这些挑战。这个基于机器学习方法的框架可以应用于各种传感器网络，这些传感器网络可以具有适度的资源能力，也可以部署在非传统的物理环境中，如水下或潮湿的地面上。在这项研究的基础上，提出了一项教育计划，旨在向年轻一代传授知识，提高学生的入学率和保留率，并鼓励代表人数不足的群体的学生积极参与。

Most research on target monitoring using sensor networks requires the geographic locations of the sensors to be known. However, in practice, it is not always possible for every sensor node to have a built-in GPS-like capability. On the other hand, applying a localization procedure to all the sensor nodes can be expensive for large networks. Even if the location information of many sensors can be computed, it may never be used because targets usually appear very sparse. This project, therefore, tackles the target monitoring problem in the context of low-cost sensor networks, where a sensor node does not need built-in capability to determine its location. Instead, hopcount information serves as the primary source of information to track the target. The challenges result from the unknown mobility and nature of the target and the coarseness of the hopcount data. The matter is more sophisticated if there are multiple moving targets and it is not known whether they move in groups or independently.The research objective of the project is to design and implement a novel solution framework to address these challenges. This framework, based on a machine-learning approach, can be applied to a wide range of sensor networks which can have modest resource capacities or be deployed in non-conventional physical settings such as under the water or on wet ground. Building on the research, an education plan is proposed that seeks to transfer knowledge to younger generations, improve student enrollment and retention, and encourage active participation from students of under-represented groups.