This paper argues that a camera sensor network containing heterogeneous elements provides numerous benefits over traditional homogeneous sensor networks. We present the design and implementation of SensEye-a multi-tier network of heterogeneous wireless nodes and cameras. To demonstrate its benefits, we implement a surveillance application using SensEye comprising three tasks: object detection, recognition and tracking. We propose novel mechanisms for low-power low-latency detection, low-latency

more »

... wakeups, efficient recognition and tracking. Our techniques show that a multitier sensor network can reconcile the traditionally conflicting systems goals of latency and energy-efficiency. An experimental evaluation of our prototype shows that, when compared to a single-tier prototype, our multi-tier SensEye can achieve an order of magnitude reduction in energy usage while providing comparable surveillance accuracy.