A Sensor-cyber Network Testbed for Plume Detection, Identification, and Tracking

Detection, identification, and tracking (DIT) problems that arise in applications such as the protection of people and the environment against radiational, biological, and chemical plumes, can be solved by combining the modalities of sensor and cyber networks. The sensor network provides information about physical space activities, such as the locations and movements of plume sources and targets. The cyber network provides storage and computational resources to analyze and infer, based on realistic dispersion models of plumes with respect to physical phenomena (e.g., terrain and weather effects), where the plume originated, the trajectory of its movement (speed and direction), and the prediction of its future movement. The cyber network also makes decisions about where to task and activate plume sensors regarding their future sensing and communciation activities.