Quality-driven congestion control for target tracking in wireless sensor networks

Abstract

This paper describes initial research in addressing the challenges of managing quality of information for wireless sensor network target tracking with multiple missions of various priorities tracking multiple targets. We address the use of a distributed market-based mechanism to equalize the information value loss (that itself is a function of Quality of Information (Qol)) of tracked targets across multiple tracking missions while managing network congestion arising as a result of tracking. This includes considering missions' priorities and starvation of missions' data updates. In support of this approach, we define Qol as a function of the precision of position prediction of a tracked target and the loss of information value as the product of Qol and the priority of the mission tracking the target. © 2008 IEEE.