Tracking moving targets in a smart sensor network

Networks of small, densely distributed wireless sensor nodes are capable of solving a variety of collaborative problems such as monitoring and surveillance. We develop a simple algorithm that detects and tracks a moving target, and alerts sensor nodes along the projected path of the target. The algorithm involves only simple computation and localizes communication only to the nodes in the vicinity of the target and its projected course. The algorithm is evaluated on a small-scale testbed of Berkeley motes using a light source as the moving target. The performance results are presented emphasizing the accuracy of the technique, along with a discussion about our experience in using such a platform for target tracking experiments.