Richard Radke (white shirt) with New York Congressman Michael R. McNulty Photos by Rensselaer/Deborah Altenburg

Richard Radke, assistant professor of electrical, computer, and systems engineering, had an opportunity to discuss his research on Capitol Hill June 7 at the 12th Annual Coalition for National Science Funding (CNSF). The event, which is designed to highlight leading National Science Foundation-funded research projects to policymakers, featured a booth about Radke’s research into developing a new framework for “distributed computer vision.”

Networks of hundreds of cameras are becoming critical tools in disaster response, search-and-rescue, homeland security, and military operations, Radke says. He is developing a mathematical system to combine the many separate streams of information that individual cameras collect into a cohesive picture.

Radke is focusing on randomly distributed networks of wireless cameras with no centralized communication hub. For example, consider the possibility of using a helicopter to scatter hundreds of wireless cameras in the wake of a natural disaster. “My first goal is for the cameras to automatically figure out where they are, and where they’re pointed,” he says. “I want the cameras to work together locally to create a global picture. To do that, I have to establish a chain of conversations between nearby cameras.” Radke is working on an algorithm that will allow each camera to communicate with its neighbors, comparing landmarks and other features to determine its location and help build one master map.

The research is funded through a Faculty Early Career Development Award (CAREER) from the National Science Foundation. The CAREER Award provides a grant of $400,000 over five years, and is the most prestigious honor presented to junior faculty.

CNSF is an alliance of more than 100 organizations united by a concern for the future vitality of the national science, mathematics, and engineering enterprise. CNSF supports the goal of increasing the national investment in the National Science Foundation’s research and education programs in response to the unprecedented scientific, technological, and economic opportunities facing the United States.

Published June 19, 2006