Distributed tracking in wireless ad hoc sensor networks

Target tracking is an important application for wireless ad hoc sensor networks. Because of the energy and communication constraints imposed by the size of the sensors, the processing has to be distributed over the sensor nodes. This paper discusses issues associated with distributed multiple target tracking for ad hoc sensor networks and examines the applicability of tracking algorithms developed for traditional networks of large sensors. When data association is not an issue, the standard predict/update structure in single target tracking can be used to assign individual tracks to the sensor nodes based on their locations. Track ownership will have to be carefully migrated, using for example information driven sensor tasking, to minimize the need for communication when targets move. When data association is needed in tracking multiple interacting targets, clusters of tracks should be assigned to groups of collaborating nodes. Some recent examples of this type of distributed processing are given.