Tracking and classification with wireless sensor networks and the transferable belief model

The use of small, cheap, networked devices to collaboratively perform a task presents an attractive opportunity for many scenarios. One such scenario is the tracking and classification of an object moving through a region of interest. A single sensor is capable of very little, but a group of sensors can potentially provide a flexible, self-organising system that can carry out tasks in harsh conditions for long periods of time. This thesis presents a new framework for tracking and classification with a wire less sensor network. Existing algorithms have been integrated and extended within this framework to perform tracking and classification whilst managing energy usage in order to balance the quality of information with the cost of obtaining it. Novel improvements are presented to perform tracking and classification in more realistic scenarios where a target is moving in a non-linear fashion over a varying terrain. The framework presented in this thesis can be used not only in algorithm development, but also as a tool to aid sensor deployment planning. All of the algorithms presented in this thesis have a common basis that results from the integration of a wireless sensor network management algorithm and a tracking and classification algorithm both of which are considered state-of-the-art. Tracking is performed with a particle filter, and classification is performed with the Transferable Belief Model. Simulations are used throughout this thesis in order to compare the performance of different algorithms. A large number of simulations are used in each experiment with various parameter combinations in order to provide a detailed analysis of each algorithm and scenario. The work presented in this thesis could be of use to developers of wireless sensor network algorithms, and also to people who plan the deployment of nodes. This thesis focuses on military scenarios, but the research presented is not limited to this.EThOS - Electronic Theses Online ServiceGBUnited Kingdo

Tracking and classification with wireless sensor networks and the transferable belief model

The use of small, cheap, networked devices to collaboratively perform a task presents an attractive opportunity for many scenarios. One such scenario is the tracking and classification of an object moving through a region of interest. A single sensor is capable of very little, but a group of sensors can potentially provide a flexible, self-organising system that can carry out tasks in harsh conditions for long periods of time. This thesis presents a new framework for tracking and classification with a wire less sensor network. Existing algorithms have been integrated and extended within this framework to perform tracking and classification whilst managing energy usage in order to balance the quality of information with the cost of obtaining it. Novel improvements are presented to perform tracking and classification in more realistic scenarios where a target is moving in a non-linear fashion over a varying terrain. The framework presented in this thesis can be used not only in algorithm development, but also as a tool to aid sensor deployment planning. All of the algorithms presented in this thesis have a common basis that results from the integration of a wireless sensor network management algorithm and a tracking and classification algorithm both of which are considered state-of-the-art. Tracking is performed with a particle filter, and classification is performed with the Transferable Belief Model. Simulations are used throughout this thesis in order to compare the performance of different algorithms. A large number of simulations are used in each experiment with various parameter combinations in order to provide a detailed analysis of each algorithm and scenario. The work presented in this thesis could be of use to developers of wireless sensor network algorithms, and also to people who plan the deployment of nodes. This thesis focuses on military scenarios, but the research presented is not limited to this

Advances and Applications of Dezert-Smarandache Theory (DSmT) for Information Fusion (Collected Works), Vol. 4

The fourth volume on Advances and Applications of Dezert-Smarandache Theory (DSmT) for information fusion collects theoretical and applied contributions of researchers working in different fields of applications and in mathematics. The contributions (see List of Articles published in this book, at the end of the volume) have been published or presented after disseminating the third volume (2009, http://fs.unm.edu/DSmT-book3.pdf) in international conferences, seminars, workshops and journals. First Part of this book presents the theoretical advancement of DSmT, dealing with Belief functions, conditioning and deconditioning, Analytic Hierarchy Process, Decision Making, Multi-Criteria, evidence theory, combination rule, evidence distance, conflicting belief, sources of evidences with different importance and reliabilities, importance of sources, pignistic probability transformation, Qualitative reasoning under uncertainty, Imprecise belief structures, 2-Tuple linguistic label, Electre Tri Method, hierarchical proportional redistribution, basic belief assignment, subjective probability measure, Smarandache codification, neutrosophic logic, Evidence theory, outranking methods, Dempster-Shafer Theory, Bayes fusion rule, frequentist probability, mean square error, controlling factor, optimal assignment solution, data association, Transferable Belief Model, and others. More applications of DSmT have emerged in the past years since the apparition of the third book of DSmT 2009. Subsequently, the second part of this volume is about applications of DSmT in correlation with Electronic Support Measures, belief function, sensor networks, Ground Moving Target and Multiple target tracking, Vehicle-Born Improvised Explosive Device, Belief Interacting Multiple Model filter, seismic and acoustic sensor, Support Vector Machines, Alarm classification, ability of human visual system, Uncertainty Representation and Reasoning Evaluation Framework, Threat Assessment, Handwritten Signature Verification, Automatic Aircraft Recognition, Dynamic Data-Driven Application System, adjustment of secure communication trust analysis, and so on. Finally, the third part presents a List of References related with DSmT published or presented along the years since its inception in 2004, chronologically ordered

Evidential Reasoning for Multimodal Fusion in Human Computer Interaction

Fusion of information from multiple modalities in Human Computer Interfaces (HCI) has gained a lot of attention in recent years, and has far reaching implications in many areas of human-machine interaction. However, a major limitation of current HCI fusion systems is that the fusion process tends to ignore the semantic nature of modalities, which may reinforce, complement or contradict each other over time. Also, most systems are not robust in representing the ambiguity inherent in human gestures. In this work, we investigate an evidential reasoning based approach for intelligent multimodal fusion, and apply this algorithm to a proposed multimodal system consisting of a Hand Gesture sensor and a Brain Computing Interface (BCI). There are three major contributions of this work to the area of human computer interaction. First, we propose an algorithm for reconstruction of the 3D hand pose given a 2D input video. Second, we develop a BCI using Steady State Visually Evoked Potentials, and show how a multimodal system consisting of the two sensors can improve the efficiency and the complexity of the system, while retaining the same levels of accuracy. Finally, we propose an semantic fusion algorithm based on Transferable Belief Models, which can successfully fuse information from these two sensors, to form meaningful concepts and resolve ambiguity. We also analyze this system for robustness under various operating scenarios

Advances and Applications of DSmT for Information Fusion

This book is devoted to an emerging branch of Information Fusion based on new approach for modelling the fusion problematic when the information provided by the sources is both uncertain and (highly) conflicting. This approach, known in literature as DSmT (standing for Dezert-Smarandache Theory), proposes new useful rules of combinations

Advances and Applications of Dezert-Smarandache Theory (DSmT), Vol. 1

The Dezert-Smarandache Theory (DSmT) of plausible and paradoxical reasoning is a natural extension of the classical Dempster-Shafer Theory (DST) but includes fundamental differences with the DST. DSmT allows to formally combine any types of independent sources of information represented in term of belief functions, but is mainly focused on the fusion of uncertain, highly conflicting and imprecise quantitative or qualitative sources of evidence. DSmT is able to solve complex, static or dynamic fusion problems beyond the limits of the DST framework, especially when conflicts between sources become large and when the refinement of the frame of the problem under consideration becomes inaccessible because of vague, relative and imprecise nature of elements of it. DSmT is used in cybernetics, robotics, medicine, military, and other engineering applications where the fusion of sensors\u27 information is required