In the current context of spectral band scarcity for new resources, it is important to have robust mechanisms for detecting spectral activity, which can be used to support dynamic spectral allocation schemes to optimize the use of the radio spectrum. Likewise, signal detection and classification are of great interest in order to detect possible illegal emissions and monitor the use of licensed bands for new services, such as WiMAX and the 3.5GHz band. On the other hand, combining measurements taken at different spatial locations allows for improved reliability in systems based on a single sensor, since network cooperation mechanisms enable distributed sensing, particularly suitable for fading channels. Furthermore, in a socially impactful topic like natural environment preservation, communication techniques between sensors and the fusion of information from them are highly useful for detecting and controlling environmental threats, such as forest fires, oil spills, etc.
This project addresses the distributed monitoring of spectral activity through sensor networks. However, the different lines of work detailed below may have applications in other areas such as those mentioned above:
Estimation of signal-to-noise ratio.
Classification of communication signals and identification of modulations.
Fusion of statistics.
Deployment of a connected sensor network.
Detection of unauthorized emissions.
Optimization of energy consumption.
