Smart sensor integration into security networks

Sandia has been investigating the use of "intelligent sensors" and their integration into "smart networks" for security applications. Intelligent sensors include devices that assess various phenomenologies such as radiation, chem-bio agents, radars, and video/video-motion detection. The main problem experienced with these intelligent sensors is in integrating the output from these various sensors into a system that reports the data to users in a manner that enables an efficient response to potential threats. The overall systems engineering is a critical part of bringing these intelligent sensors on-line and is important to ensuring that these systems are successfully deployed. The systems engineering effort includes designing and deploying computer networks, interfaces to make systems interoperable, and training users to ensure that these intelligent sensors can be deployed properly. This paper focuses on Sandia's efforts to investigate the systems architecture for "smart" networks and the various interfaces required between "smart" sensors to implement these "smart networks".