Value-based sensor and information fusion

Abstract

There are many examples, methods, and processes showing the importance of sensor, data, and information fusion. However, there is a need to determine the value added of information fusion in the context of data (e.g., multimodal, amount, and resolution), software (e.g., artificial intelligence/machine learning), hardware (e.g., size, weight, and performance), as well as architectures (e.g., cloud, fog, and edge computing). This paper utilizes the analytical hierarchy process (AHP) to determine the pairwise performance needs among different human-machine information fusion system tradeoffs to show the value added from sensor fusion. The paper examines the potential value added by coordinating deep, active, and reinforcement learning for information fusion systems. Among the information metrics, the combined methods of artificial intelligence learning methods highlight user requirements for accuracy, confidence, and timeliness.