A design of a surveillance system for highly sensitive establishments using wireless sensor network

Abstract

Wireless sensor networks have been used for surveillance in hostile environments, but it is shown that, when deployed in friendly environments, they can be effective in fence surveillance, thereby literary creating a live fence capable of real time detection. Two levels of sensors were proposed in the design. The less powerful PIR sensors with a short detection range provide the observation and initial intruder detection capabilities. The more powerful camera's and ground surveillance radars are used to enable tracking and classification of intruders. A deterministic deployment of sensors is used to create a virtual fence around a highly sensitive establishment. The design is based on several sensors that are deployed around the installation to provide adequate geographical coverage. A flat terrain is assumed in calculating the number of sensors required to be deployed. During deployment this number may vary based on the topography of the deployed zone. It is shown in the design that the PIR sensors maintain coverage if deployed in such a manner that the distance between two adjacent nodes d, is less than 2R, where R is the effective detection range of the sensor. The sensors maintain connectivity throughout their life time. The Sensors are able to cooperate and are aware of each other. Several sensors act as gateways thus providing a multi-hop wireless connection able to communicate with a monitoring station. Simulation of the communication network was used show the connectivity is maintained even when a neighboring node fails. Simulation showed the designed the surveillance network was robust and tolerant to partial node failures. Simulation also showed that the AODV protocol as the most suitable for the application. The monitoring station also incorporates the human elements where effective intervention measure can be deployed.