Architectures of sensor networks for biological and chemical agent detection and identification

A network for detecting biological agents, the network comprising:

• a plurality of sensors for detecting agents in multiple areas with a probability of accuracy;
• a plurality of integrating controllers communicatively coupled to selected groups of sensors protecting each area for receiving information from the sensors to determine whether such agents are a threat to a respective area with a greater probability than any individual sensor;
• and
• an operating controller that receives information propagated to it from the integrating controllers and performs data fusion to determine a final decision for the entire area under protection.

A network for detecting agents, the network comprising:

• a plurality of different sensors for detecting agents in an area, wherein the different types of sensors are placed at predetermined positions within the area;
• a controller communicatively coupled to the sensors for controlling the sensors and receiving information from the sensors to determine whether an agent threat exists;
• and
• a modeling system to determine the optimum location of the sensors.

A method of making a network for detecting agents, the method comprising:

• selecting a plurality of different sensors for detecting agents in an area;
• placing the different types of sensors at predetermined positions within the area;
• controlling the sensors and receiving information from the sensors to determine whether an agent threat exists;
• and
• modeling the system to determine the optimum location of the sensors.

A method of forming a network for detecting agents, the method comprising:

• selecting a plurality of different type of sensors for detecting agents in an area;
• determining characteristics of the sensors;
• using the characteristics of the sensors to model the sensors;
• and
• configuring the network with the sensors using a genetic-algorithm-based system optimization.

A method of modeling sensors for a network that detects agents, the method comprising:

• creating multiple threat scenarios having different agent/clutter ratios;
• collecting sample of the threats;
• preparing the samples for sensing by the sensors;
• verifying the threats;
• and
• analyzing the performance of the sensors using the verified threats to create a component database.