Adaptive Remote Sensor Communications

We propose to advance the state of the art in the improvement of communications reliability in wireless ad-hoc sensor networks. The purpose of this proposal is to investigate and define a technology that is able to provide (1) automated monitoring and detection of multiple communication link status, which provides fast reconfiguration of communication topology, (2) QoS guarantees and maximum use of available bandwidth, and (3) improved communications reliability in the face of link outage (terrain or feature masking, node failure, destruction or compromise, battery depletion). Our innovative approach will be implemented and demonstrated in concert with the open standard Internet Protocol suite and Commercial Off-The-Shelf (COTS) application software in the open-source community.BENEFITS: Security is a fast growing global industry worth approximately $150 billion in 2004 and will benefit greatly from integration of the proposed solution. The American corporate marketplace, regardless of industry, has already been proven to be a multi-billion dollar consumer of security and surveillance products, and has a high degree of awareness of the costs of corporate espionage, malicious misuse of assets, and terrorism. While recent IT budgets have significantly diminished, spending for security products has continually increased. The desire to move sensors away from fixed (wired) infrastructure into roles as mobile data collection devices with wireless backhaul identifies a market ripe with opportunities for new technologies and vendors. The proposed solution’s automated monitoring of a link and its status will be applicable to these marketplaces. US wireless data communications is expected to pass wireless voice communications in volume by the end of 2006, driven by corporate usage. One of the prime attributes that both the commercial end user and the Network Service Providers (NSPs) recognize as an unsatisfied need is reliability. Similarly, the benefit of better management of single or and personal wireless device users. The NSPs that provide these benefits want a QoS, multiple link, near real-time management system in order to better meet their customer expectations, roll out higher grade data network services, and maintain competitive advantages. With the size of the typical large NSP network topology and traffic volume, the NSPs need an automated link monitoring and management system, capable of reconfiguration to maximize link utilization, overcome link outages, or take advantage of sudden multiple link availability, while operating in a near transparent status to the end user. The proposed solution will generate a product based upon meeting these NSP needs, and indirectly addressing the end user’s expectations of higher reliability and performance. Transition of the technology into the Navy will be closely followed by penetration into other military, para-military, Homeland Security, and US commercial markets.