Ad-Hoc Sensor Networks for Maritime Interdiction Operations and Regional Security

Abstract

Robust communications are key to the success of naval operations such as area surveillance, control, and interdiction. Communication and sensor networks allow the flow of data and critical information that is necessary for conducting an operation from both the tactical and strategic perspectives. In naval operations, the platforms are hardly stationary, as the networking infrastructure operates from a variety of platforms in motion on the sea, above the sea, and from space, in the case of satellite support. Sensor networks consist of nodes made up of small sensors that are able to monitor, process, and analyze phenomena over geographical regions of varying sizes and for significant periods. Some categories of these small, and sometimes low-cost, sensors are able to collect and transmit, or relay, sensor data about physical values (e.g., temperature, humidity, and sea state), or dynamic attributes of objects, such as speed, direction, and the existence of dangerous substances (e.g., radioactive materials and explosives). The objective of this thesis is to examine how unstructured sensor networks, known also as ad-hoc sensor networks, can effectively support maritime interdiction operations and regional security by providing reliable communications and flow of information.