 security breaches on the nation's infrastructure and improve the government's ability to prevent, detect, respond to, and recover from both manmade and natural catastrophes. Hou and Midkiff are focusing on the issues of power use and network topol- ogy. Receiving, processing, and transmitting video information places a high demand on the batteries that supply power to a wireless video network. This poses a problem, particularly when networks are operated in remote locations. "A major challenge of our research will be maximizing the lifetime of net- works using components with limited battery power," says Hou. Hou and Midkiff believe that improving network topology-the arrange- ment by which network components are connected-is the key factor in max- imizing power efficiency. "An analysis of power dissipation at video sensor nodes suggests that communication consumes significantly more energy than any other activity," Hou noted. "By adjusting the topology of the network, we can optimize the transmitter power of video sensor nodes and extend network lifetime." The researchers will employ algorithms (mathematical problem-solving procedures) and techniques developed in the field of computational geome- try to help determine the most beneficial topology adjustments. "Developing good solutions for these networking problems is the key to unlocking the full potential of a large-scale wireless video sensor network," Hou says. As part of the ITR project, Hou and Midkiff also plan to develop a software toolkit that will implement the topology control techniques that they discover. 7.4.4 Focusing on Precrime A closed-circuit video camera designed to monitor a public place for criminal activity is hardly a new idea. But a video surveillance system that can forecast trouble in advance is something else indeed. Researchers at London's Kingston University have developed a video sur- veillance system that has the ability predict a criminal incident well before it THE UNBLINKING EYE-SECURITY AND SURVEILLANCE takes place. The techn