A customized flocking algorithm for swarms of sensors tracking a swarm of targets

Abstract

Wireless mobile sensor networks (WMSNs) are groups of mobile sensing agents with multi-modal sensing capabilities that communicate over wireless networks. WMSNs have more flexibility in terms of deployment and exploration abilities over static sensor networks. Sensor networks have a wide range of applications in security and surveillance systems, environmental monitoring, data gathering for network-centric healthcare systems, monitoring seismic activities and atmospheric events, tracking traffic congestion and air pollution levels, localization of autonomous vehicles in intelligent transportation systems, and detecting failures of sensing, storage, and switching components of smart grids. The above applications require target tracking for processes and events of interest occurring in an environment. Various methods and approaches have been proposed in order to track one or more targets in a pre-defined area. Usually, this turns out to be a complicated job involving higher order mathematics coupled with artificial intelligence due to the dynamic nature of the targets. To optimize the resources we need to have an approach that works in a more straightforward manner while resulting in fairly satisfactory data. In this paper we have discussed the various cases that might arise while flocking a group of sensors to track targets in a given environment. The approach has been developed from scratch although some basic assumptions have been made keeping in mind some previous theories. This paper outlines a customized approach for feasibly tracking swarms of targets in a specific area so as to minimize the resources and optimize tracking efficiency.