Collaborative classification applications in sensor networks

Distributed sensor networks are a significant technology nowadays. Inexpensive, smart devices with multiple sensors provide opportunities for instrumenting, monitoring and controlling targeting systems. Such sensor nodes have capability for acquiring and embedded-processing of variety of data forms. Collaborative signal processing and fusion algorithms are needed to aggregate the distributed data from among the nodes in the network, including possibly multiple modalities of data within a sensor node, to make decisions in a reliable and efficient manner. One of the important sensor network applications is target classification in battlefields. This paper presents improved moving vehicle target classification performance using data obtained from sensor networks with collaboration both across nodes and within a node in terms of multimodal fusion. Results show that a 50% relative improvement in classification error can be obtained using collaboration both in the case of single vehicle target and those involving multi-vehicle convoys.