This paper describes a method for assignment and deployment of sensors in a virtual environment using constraint programming. We extend an existing model (multiple knapsack problem) to implement this assignment and placement, according to a given set of requirements (modelled as a utility extension).
Sensor Assignment & DeploymentIn military/rescue operations the first step in gathering intelligence is the deployment of sensor devices to acquire knowledge of the domain and information to aid in pre-mission planning 1 . The assignment of sensors to areas where this information could be found, therefore, becomes of vital importance. The optimal assignment of sensors given a pre-defined commanders intent means that we can allocate (possibly limited) resources and use these to the best possible extent. In this paper we describe a method of sensor assignment and deployment using an extension to the multiple knapsack problem and how this can be deployed in a virtual environment as a web service.In assigning sensors in a virtual environment, we are trying to aid in the placement and best usage of detectors which can scan the field of battle for information to help in the formation of plans or deployment of troops. Generally in such scenarios we have the following resources, requirements and methods: a finite number of sensors with various capabilities, a given set of areas to be covered by various sensor capabilities and a set of methods directing the placement of the sensors (optimality, maximum coverage etc.).Our main aim in this paper is to describe how we have modelled the assignment of sensors, given these criteria, using a variation on the multiple knapsack model, and how we have formulated the problem in terms of this model.