Optimal Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Allocation for Border Surveillance

摘要

Border surveillance is an important concern for nations wishing to detect and intercept intruders. Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) allow for modernization of border surveillance efforts, improving performance while reducing cost. While UAVs carry a number of advantages over traditional means of border surveillance, they also present new operational challenges. This paper formulates mathematical models designed to find the best way to utilize a given fleet of UAVs by deciding their routes, altitudes, and speeds in order to maximize the probability of detecting intruders. These models can aid a decision maker in effectively acquiring and employing a UAV fleet for border surveillance.