Advances in wildlife road-crossing early-alert system: New architecture and experimental validation

In this paper, the experimental validation of Doppler radar sensors integrated in a wireless sensor network for the wildlife road crossing detection is presented. The collision between wildlife and vehicles represents a sensitive issue in Alps region and a valuable as well as inexpensive solution has not been identified yet. The proposed system aims at alerting the approaching driver through light signals activated only if a dangerous situation is recognized. The detection process is implemented on the wireless nodes installed along the road sides and equipped with low cost Doppler radars for the real-time detection and identification of wildlife movements. The warning messages are then transmitted towards a centralized control unit through multihop wireless connections for further data processing and statistical analysis about road-crossing risk zones. The performance of the investigated radar modules and their integration in a small and low power prototype are here discussed in order to assess the potentialities and the limitations of the system and its future adoption in large deployments.