Data fusion in wireless sensor networks: a new application for Kalman filtering

When having a look at wireless sensor networks, a huge number of tiny devices equipped with low-cost radio transceivers form a self-organizing ad hoc network. Minimizing network traffic - and consequently overall energy consumption, scalability, etc. - is of major concern in such networks. Advanced techniques have been introduced, including data aggregation (or data fusion), in intermediate nodes. In the present paper, we promote an asynchronously operated Kalman filter as the ideal, and most natural tool for data aggregation along intermediate nodes.