Distributed Coalition Formation in Visual Sensor Networks: A Virtual Vision Approach

Abstract

We propose a distributed coalition formation strategy for collaborative sensing tasks in camera sensor networks. The proposed model supports task-dependent node selection and aggregation through an announcement/bidding/ selection strategy. It resolves node assignment conflicts by solving an equivalent constraint satisfaction problem. Our technique is scalable, as it lacks any central controller, and it is robust to node failures and imperfect communication. Another unique aspect of our work is that we advocate visually and behaviorally realistic virtual environments as a simulation tool in support of research on large-scale camera sensor networks. Specifically, our visual sensor network comprises uncalibrated static and active simulated video surveillance cameras deployed in a virtual train station populated by autonomously self-animating pedestrians. The readily reconfigurable virtual cameras generate synthetic video feeds that emulate those generated by real surveillance cameras monitoring public spaces. Our simulation approach, which runs on high-end commodity PCs, has proven to be beneficial because this type of research would be difficult to carry out in the real world in view of the impediments to deploying and experimenting with an appropriately complex camera network in extensive public spaces.