In-Network Processing on Low-Cost IoT Nodes for Maritime Surveillance

The effective distribution of offensive weapon capabilities to naval units at the tactical edge is a critical focus for Navy leaders. A direct byproduct of this priority is the need to employ sensor and data collection systems that can effectively guide the targeting of that offensive capability. In the recent past, wireless sensor networks have received limited use in the maritime domain due to the exploratory nature of technology, high system complexity and the high cost of system deployment. With the Internet-of-Things revolution, commercially available hardware and software components can be used to build low-cost, reliable, disposable wireless sensor networks that can leverage in-network processing schemes to greatly expand the intelligence collection footprint.