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Data Fusion in Sensor Networks

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Encyclopedia of Database Systems

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Synonyms

Distributed sensor fusion

Definition

Data fusion in sensor networks is defined as the set of algorithms, processes, and protocols that combine data from multiple sensors. The goal may be to extract information not readily apparent in an individual sensor’s data, improve the quality of information compared to that provided by any individual data, or improve the operation of the network by optimizing usage of its resources.

For instance, the output of a magnetic sensor and an audio sensor may be combined to detect a vehicle (new information), outputs of multiple vibration sensors may be combined to increase the signal to noise ratio (improving quality), or a passive infrared sensor may be combined with a camera in a people detection network to reduce the frame-rate of the camera for conserving energy (improving operation).

The sensors fused may be of the same or different types. Key features of data fusion in sensor networks, that distinguish it from other methods to combine...

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Microsoft Research, Redmond, WA, USA

    Aman Kansal & Feng Zhao

Authors
  1. Aman Kansal
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  2. Feng Zhao
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Aman Kansal .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Georgia Institute of Technology College of Computing, Atlanta, Georgia, USA

    Ling Liu

  2. University of Waterloo School of Computer Science, Waterloo, Ontario, Canada

    M. Tamer Özsu

Section Editor information

  1. School of Computer Science, Univ. of Oklahoma, 110 W. Boyd Street, Room 150 DEH, 73019-5143, Norman, OK, USA

    Le Gruenwald

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Kansal, A., Zhao, F. (2016). Data Fusion in Sensor Networks. In: Liu, L., Özsu, M. (eds) Encyclopedia of Database Systems. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4899-7993-3_101-2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4899-7993-3_101-2

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, New York, NY

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-4899-7993-3

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