Decentralized Task Assignment in Camera Networks

In this work we study the problem of task assignment in multiagent multitask systems and in particular in smart camera networks for surveillance. This problem is a combinatorial optimization problem that can be solved in a centralized fashion, however a decentralized solution is ought in systems where communication among all agents may be limited and where the system efficiency and robustness cannot rely on the performance of a single central unit. To address this problem, we start by formalizing the problem and presenting a general model framework, and then we propose a decentralized solution inspired by the Stable Marriage Problem, that presents interesting performances in terms of optimality over a number of defined metrics. The proposed solution is also compared with centralized and decentralized algorithms via numerical simulations showing promising results.