BBN Technologies

BBN Technologies' Smart Sensor Web is a multi-sensor infrastructure that enables rapid construction and fielding of large-scale, distributed, intelligent sensor networks. Featuring an advanced and scalable architecture that supports numerous diverse and heterogeneous sensor types, a Smart Sensor Web may include any or all of the following:

• Acoustic sensors
• Digital video
• Environmental sensors
• Infrared cameras
• Passive infrared receivers
• Radio frequency receivers
• Seismic sensors

A common reporting dialect, based on XML messaging standards, allows all sensors to communicate and share information at a report level.

Smart Sensor Web Applications

The Smart Sensor Web is a key applications for a wide range of critical national and defense problems, including:

• Homeland Security and Defense
  Homeland security systems based on Smart Sensor Web technology have been designed for building and infrastructure defense, border patrol and surveillance, and detection and warning of chemical or biological hazards.
• U.S. Army's Future Combat System and Objective Force for the Warrior Programs
  For the U.S. Army, Smart Sensor Web systems have been developed for linking and coordinating unattended ground sensors with the movements of autonomous robotic vehicles and unmanned aerial vehicles for battlefield operations.
• DoD Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance Missions
  Smart Sensor Web technologies have been applied for managing strategic and theater-wide intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance assets (airborne and overhead) and for the subsequent processing, use, and dissemination of the collected information.

100% Java Infrastructure

The core infrastructure is completely Java and provides:

• Plug-and-play capabilities for many standard sensor and communication interfaces.
• Library of sensor/signal processing modules for low cost, COTS-based, in-node processing options, including general purpose and embedded processors.
• Library of display and visualization tools, including OpenGIS, map-based user interfaces.
• Agent-based architecture for developing cooperative tasking and collaboration algorithms across sensor clusters.
• Web-based services for distributed applications.
• Open standards-based, peer-to-peer (P2P) messaging protocols.
• Intelligent networking services, including support for ad hoc mobile networks.

Flexible and Adaptable

Our standards-based approach provides easy extensibility for accommodating additional types of sensors, communication devices, and processors. The communication and P2P architecture allows human observers to join and participate in the sensor network easily via PDAs or other personal communication devices. Human participants can receive information from and exchange information with individual or groups of sensors.

In summary, the BBN Smart Sensor Web infrastructure provides a rapid jump-start capability to design and assemble a sophisticated, robust, distributed sensing system, that can synergize across multiple signal and sensing domains. With the BBN Smart Sensor Web, the whole is truly greater than the sum of the parts.