NeTS: Large: Collaborative Research: ASTRO: A Platform for 3-D Data-Driven Mobile Sensing via Networked Drones

该项目的驱动愿景是通过ASTRO检测挥发性有机化合物（VOCs）， ASTRO是一个通过配备气体传感器的联网无人机进行自主3d数据驱动移动传感的平台。挥发性有机化合物对人类健康和环境有害；它们是由爆炸、气体泄漏和工业事故释放的，这些事故在靠近工业加工厂、化学精炼厂和其他空气污染物来源的低收入和资源不足的城市社区中普遍存在。该项目位于德克萨斯州休斯敦市的一个经济落后地区。通过“人人享有技术”（TFA），项目团队拥有通过宽带接入、技术培训和联网医疗吸引当地社区参与的历史。TFA无线网络已经通过商业Wi-Fi和软件定义无线电的混合为休斯顿东区几平方公里内的数千名社区成员提供服务。该项目的目标是实现低收入城市地区环境状况的高分辨率地面真相，这可以通过政策和法律影响应急程序和环境正义。该项目将开发一个移动应用程序，提醒社区居民他们当前位置附近的有害挥发性有机化合物浓度。该项目将通过网络无人机融合下一代环境传感和下一代无线接入，从而影响城市地区。该项目的目标是通过ASTRO的开发和演示，实现前所未有的VOC传感分辨率，ASTRO是一种无需地面控制的网络化无人机传感任务系统。ASTRO将实现根据实时测量动态移动传感器的独特能力。因此，带有机载传感器的无人机网络可以发现和跟踪VOC羽流，仅通过相互协调，而不需要中央地面控制器。两个相互关联的推动力将实现这一愿景。首先是目标检测、跟踪和建模高VOC浓度集群，目标是健康和环境安全。第二是通过无人机网络开发数据驱动的移动任务的基本原则和方法。该项目的成果将包括轻量级机器学习方法，为具有环境和健康目标的实时分布式自主传感提供基础。这些数据集将使VOCs的大气模型以比现在更精确的分辨率发展。此外，研究结果还将包括通过软件定义无线电在联网无人机之间进行自适应通信的方法，该无线电可以调整其网络拓扑和频谱使用以实现任务目标。该奖项反映了美国国家科学基金会的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

The driving vision of this project is to detect Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) through ASTRO, a platform for autonomous 3-D data-driven mobile sensing via networked drones equipped with gas sensors. VOCs are hazardous to human health and the environment; they are released by explosions, gas leaks, and industrial accidents prevalent in low-income and under-resourced urban neighborhoods in close proximity to industrial processing plants, chemical refineries, and other sources of airborne pollutants. The project is located in an economically disadvantaged area of Houston, Texas. With Technology For All (TFA), the project team has a history of engaging the local community via broadband access, technology training, and connected health. The TFA wireless network already serves 1000's of community members in several square kilometers in Houston's East End via a mix of commercial Wi-Fi and software defined radios. The project targets realizing a high-resolution ground truth of environmental conditions in low-income urban areas which can impact emergency response procedures and environmental justice via policy and law. The project will develop a mobile app that alerts community residents of hazardous VOC concentrations near their current location. This project will impact urban areas with a demonstration of fusing next generation environmental sensing with next generation wireless access via networked drones. The project's objective is to realize an unprecedented resolution in VOC sensing by development and demonstration of ASTRO, a system for networked drone sensing missions without ground control. ASTRO will realize the unique capability to dynamically move sensors in 3-D according to real-time measurements. Consequently, networks of drones with on-board sensors can find and track VOC plumes, solely by coordinating among themselves, and without requiring a centralized ground controller. Two inter-related thrusts will realize this vision. The first is target detection, tracking, and modeling high VOC concentration clusters, targeting health and environmental safety. The second is development of the underlying principles and methodologies for data-driven mobile missions via drone networks. The project's outcomes will include lightweight machine learning methods that provide foundations for real-time distributed autonomous sensing with environmental and health objectives. These data sets will yield development of atmospheric models of VOCs at a finer resolution than is possible today. Moreover, the outcomes will also include methods for adaptive communication among the networked drones via software defined radios that can adapt their network topology and spectrum usage to realize mission objectives.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.