Hull-based approximation to forest fires with distributed wireless sensor networks

Disaster management is one of the most promising application fields of wireless sensor networks. In this application, the role of the sensor network usually consists in obtaining a representation or a model for a physical phenomenon spreading through the area. In this work we focus on forest fire fighting operations, proposing a distributed way for approximating the shape of the fire. In the simplest scenario, assuming the existence of an efficient dissemination layer, each network node obtains a representation of the forest fire starting from the complete list of positions reached by the fire so far. However, this approach makes an intensive use of node and network resources. In order to reduce these requirements, we propose incorporating in-network aggregation techniques. In particular, in this paper we analyze the employ of a shape composed of several convex hulls to represent the forest fire in a more compact way. As we will see, the use of multiple hulls representing different burning areas offers an accurate approximation to the forest fire, without introducing a significant overhead.