DISTIN: Distributed Inference and Optimization in WSNs

A Message-Passing PerspectiveSCOM TeamUCLAB@KHU

Monitoring

Data Aggregation

Applications

Sensor Selection (Clustering), Correlated Data Aggregation, Event Detection, State Estimation (Localization and Tracking, Activity Recognition).

Distributed Inference?Distributed Inference?

Issues: resource-constrained sensor nodes, in the presence of packet losses and link failures.

(1324,1245)

Localization & Tracking

Goal: Developing efficient, scalable, robust message-passing algorithms for distributed optimization & inference in large-scale sensor-actuator networks.

Target detection

Data fusion (if different sensors)

Target localization

Target classification (if multiple targets)

Target tracking

Transfer to sink & next leader

Applications

Sensor Selection (Clustering), Correlated Data Aggregation, Event Detection, State Estimation (Localization and Tracking, Activity Recognition).

Distributed Inference?Distributed Inference?

• Jointly optimizing inference, networking & comm.

•Hierarchical network architecture, •cross-layer optimization

Research Methodology

Fusion center Decentralized

Ad hoc Gossiping

Hybrid

Hierarchical Structure

Hierarchical network is proved to be more scalable and energy-efficient

Research Methodology

• Leveraging probabilistic graphical models and message passing for representation & inference

Problem Formulation(Global Maximization/Marginalization)

Graphical Modeling(Factor Graph, MRF, etc)

Message-Passing Rules(Min-Sum, Sum-Product, etc)

Distributed Algorithms(Robust, Energy-Efficient, Scalable)

Current heuristics are not efficient for WSN

(slow convergence, not scale well, computation & comm. costs increase exponentially with network size)

Probabilistic Graphical Models & Message-Passing Algorithms

• Computing Graph meets Communications Graph– Capture the structure of a sensor network (for modeling statistical

dependencies and/or communication links). – Parallel nature of message-passing operations (flexible message

scheduling)• Recently significant progress in PGM & MEPA

– Junction Tree: exact solution, provable convergence, but exponential cost & not parallel

– LoopyBP: approximate solutions,sufficient conditions of convergence,

– Message-representation, message-censoring/damping.• In-network processing & actuation

– Each node of the network obtains the posterior distribution/optimal values of its variables.

F. R. Kschischang et. al. “Factor Graph and the Sum-Product Algorithm”, IEEE Trans. Info. Theo. ‘01

Results: Min-Sum Clustering Algo

• Convergence rate• Approximation• Scalability• Robustness• Efficiency

Min-Cost Hierarchical Architecture for Correlated Data Aggregation

Results: Communication Cost

• Average communication cost of MCDA is approximately ½ of MEGA’s

MCDA1: trade-off between node residual energy and transmission cost with re-clustering after a constant number of rounds

MCDA2: minimize transmission cost by exploiting data correlation without considering node residual energy (no re-clustering)

MEGA: Minimum Energy Gathering Algorithm

Results: Network Lifetime• Network lifetime is computed as the number of rounds until the first node

dies.• Network lifetime using MCDA is higher than MEGA because MCDA can

balance between the transmission cost and node residual energy, resulted in lower re-clustering rate, which is an energy wasted process.

MCDA1: trade-off between node residual energy and transmission cost with re-clustering after a constant number of rounds

MCDA2: minimize transmission cost by exploiting data correlation without considering node residual energy (no re-clustering)

MEGA: Minimum Energy Gathering Algorithm

Software Architecture for DISTIN

MW Core Components:Message-Passing Inference Engine (pluggable): +Update outgoing messages using new sensor readings+Update marginal distribution using incoming messagesMessage-Censoring & Buffering+If message is not “new”=> do not send (censoring)+If message lost => update using old (buffered message)+Marshalling/unmarshalling compact messageNetworking layer+Neighbor Discovery & Maintenance+Message Broadcasting & Receiving

APIs:Inputs: +Graphical Models & Priors +Scheduling Rules Outputs: +Marginal Distribution, MAP, Avg., etc.

Ubiquitous Computing LAB

Challenges• NP-hard global optimization tasks, performed on resource-constrained sensor nodes, in the presence of packet losses and link failures.• Current heuristics are not efficient for WSN (slow convergence, not scale well, computation & comm. costs increase exponentially with network size)

Methodology• Jointly optimizing inference, networking & comm.

• Leveraging probabilistic graphical models and message passing for representation & inference

Contributions• MEPA: Robust message-passing algorithms for efficient sensor clustering & correlated data aggregation: simple, fast, good approximation & highly localized• Robust algorithms for planning & learning in collaborative multi-agent settings (e.g. state estimation, activity recognition, localization and tracking in WSN) - ongoing

Broader Impacts• WSN: MEPA as a macro-programming language for novel applications (structural health monitoring, precision agriculture, etc.)• Graphical Models: novel mess. passing algorithms under comm. constraints (message representation, censoring, and scheduling) • Advance the theory & practice in these fields

Project DISTIN @ UCLab, KHU

ApplicationsSensor Selection (Clustering), Correlated Data

Aggregation, Event Detection, State Estimation (Localization and Tracking, Activity Recognition).

Research FocusDeveloping efficient, scalable, robust message-passing algorithms for distributed optimization & inference in large-scale sensor-actuator networks.