CAREER: Efficient, Robust RFID Stream Processing for Tracking and Monitoring

University Of Massachusetts Amherst, Amherst MA

Investigators

Abstract

The goal of this research project is to design and develop an efficient, robust RFID stream processing system that addresses the challenges in emerging RFID deployments, including the data-information mismatch, incomplete and noisy data, and high data volume, and enables real-time tracking and monitoring. This project has two main contributions. The first contribution is a low-level interpretation and compression substrate over RFID streams. This substrate offers accurate interpretation of incomplete and noisy raw data; it infers locations of unobserved objects and inter-object relationships using probabilistic algorithms. To handle high data volume, it performs online interpretation, enabling online compression by identifying and discarding redundant data. The second contribution is higher-level complex event processing that addresses the data-information mismatch by encoding application information needs as event patterns and evaluating these patterns continuously over event streams. This project offers a foundation for complex event processing with a compact, expressive event language, theoretical underpinnings, automata-based mechanisms for efficient pattern evaluation over event streams, and techniques for robust processing over event streams that result from low-level interpretation and compression. This project integrates research and education through curriculum development and teaching and research lab development, and enables broader participation of women and minorities in research through college outreach and CRA?s distributed mentor program. This project will have broader impacts including release of source code, simulators, datasets, and benchmarks to the research community via the project's Web site (http://rfid-streams.cs.umass.edu/) and technology transfer with potential applications in supply chain management, healthcare, pharmaceuticals, library management, etc.