DATA FUSION IN DECENTRALIZED SENSOR NETWORKS

This paper addresses the problem of data fusion in decentralized sensor networks in which there is no central fusion center and in which no single sensor node has global knowledge of network topology. An algorithm is described which is able to locally process and assimilate data in such networks and which yields an identical result to that obtained in a centralized system. An implementation of this decentralized data fusion algorithm on a process control rig incorporating over 150 sensors and 30 processors is described. The results show that the decentralized data fusion system described in this paper offers many advantages in terms of robustness, scalability and flexibility over a centralized system.