Application of the Maximum Flow Problem to Sensor Placement on Urban Road Networks for Homeland Security
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Authors
Barnett, Robert L.
Bovey, Sean D.
Atwell, Robert J.
Anderson, Lowell Bruce
Subjects
Advisors
Date of Issue
2007-09-00
Date
2007-09
Publisher
Monterey, California. Naval Postgraduate School
Center for Homeland Defense and Security
Center for Homeland Defense and Security
Language
en_US
Abstract
The use of sensors in the detection of terrorists, weapons, or dangerous materials transported along the roadways of the United States could contribute to the protection of urban population centers from attack. Two critical issues in designing a system for detecting such attacks before they occur are determining how many sensors would be needed and where they should be located. This article discusses a methodology developed at the Institute for Defense Analyses (IDA) to help find optimal sensor locations on urban road networks. This methodology uses network theory to identify a minimum cut set (a smallest set of road segments necessary to cut to completely block flow through the road network). We applied this methodology to the road network of the New York City metropolitan area and it found that the minimum cut set is about 10 times smaller than the number of road segments in the network. This work was sponsored by the Department of Homeland Security.
Type
Article
Description
This article appeared in Homeland Security Affairs (September 2007), v.3 no.3
Series/Report No
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NPS Report Number
Sponsors
The research presented in this article was sponsored by the Department of Homeland Security.
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Format
Citation
Homeland Security Affairs (September 2007), v.3 no.3
Distribution Statement
Approved for public release; distribution is unlimited.
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The copyright of all articles published in Homeland Security Affairs rests with the author[s] of the articles. Any commercial use of Homeland Security Affairs or the articles published herein is expressly prohibited without the written consent of the copyright holder. Anyone can copy, distribute, or reuse these articles as long as the author and original source are properly cited.