Los Alamos researchers prototype a distributed sensor network (DSN) for detection of radiological threats

LANL researchers are devising ways to correlate data from multiple sensors strung several meters apart along a roadway. This is in order to increase their ability to detect radiological bombs (or nuclear weapons) that might be transported by terrorists. What the LANL researchers propose is analogous to using multiple antennas (phased arrays) for improving SNR in wireless communications. But, as we know from wireless, the most important determinant of SNR is simply how close you can get to the source (i.e. distance).

See the fascinating article in IEEE Computer, August 2004 (requires subscription or one-time payment)
Radiation Detection with Distributed Sensor Networks
by
Sean M. Brennan, Angela M. Mielke, David C. Torney, Los Alamos National Laboratory
Arthur B. Maccabe, University of New Mexico

Comments

[Glen A. Williamson]

WMD Hunting by Piggybacking autonomous Sensor Packages on existing commercial Fleet Vehicles (trailer trucks, taxicabs, etc.) which are already equipped with in-situ Sat-Com, GPS, Cell phone, Computers, etc.

Taking advantage of this already existing twenty-first century transportation
infrastructure can speed up nationwide deployment of such detection systems.

One can almost consider it a "Free Ride."

For more details: http://williamson-labs.com/cbr.htm