An architecture for distributed video applications based on declarative networking

Video surveillance applications are examples of complex distributed coalition tasks. Real-time capture and analysis of image sensor data is one of the most important tasks in a number of military critical decision making scenarios. In complex battlefield situations, there is a need to coordinate the operation of distributed image sensors and the analysis of their data as transmitted over a heterogeneous wireless network where bandwidth, power, and computational capabilities are constrained. There is also a need to automate decision making based on the results of the analysis of video data. Declarative Networking is a promising technology for controlling complex video surveillance applications in this sort of environment. This paper presents a flexible and extensible architecture for deploying distributed video surveillance applications using the declarative networking paradigm, which allows us to dynamically connect and manage distributed image sensors and deploy various modules for the analysis of video data to satisfy a variety of video surveillance requirements. With declarative computing, it becomes possible for us not only to express the program control structure in a declarative fashion, but also to simplify the management of distributed video surveillance applications. Keywords-video surveillance; video analytics; declarative networking; dynamic network; policy technology; distributed computing