Region coverage and protection with sensors: A survey

Covering an area with sensors has been an active research area in recent years. Coverage problems for sensors include the positioning of the sensors in order to cover much or all of a region, once or many times, and using sensors whose coverage abilities vary. Certain problem extensions arise in security applications and when sensors are deployed in hostile environments: it may not be possible to safely enter the area, in which case sensors may be distributed randomly from a distance; even if the positions can be chosen, there may be some minimal placement error which must be compensated for; it may not be possible to provide complete coverage, in which case we may settle for partial coverage or only barrier coverage and position sensors for improved intrusion detection. Another factor to consider when parties are acting in a coalition is that differing types of sensors may be deployed by the different parties, which must be taken into account when choosing positions. This short survey deals with some recent results that are especially applicable to such settings.