Sensor choices for unattended ground sensors

Abstract

Acoustic sensors have been the primary sensor of choice for many UGS network concepts. This is primarily due to their low cost, non line of sight performance and the fact that most targets of interest are noisy. This paper explores the benefits to be gained by attaching additional sensors to an acoustic sensor network to provide extra information. A methodology is described to assess the cost of acquiring a certain level of information and this is used to explore the context in which the sensor network is operated. It is demonstrated that the optimum choice of sensors is dependent on the target set and the information required from the network. The potential benefits of a 'plug and play' sensor suite are examined in the context of using this concept for targeting.