A reliable sensor data collection network using unmanned aircraft

This paper presents a method for reliably collecting data events from sensors and forwarding the data via a MANET to sensor monitoring stations located on an external network. A the core is a MANET concept that consists of ground and unmanned aircraf nodes. Unmanned aircraf enable a model whereby widely-spaced sensors are intermittently connected to the network and data is sent in stages as connections become available along each stage. The paper describes the sensor data collection model, the reliable multicast data delivery mechanism, and our experiences on a network test bed including the control of an unmanned aircraft through a MANET.