A Multiple-Objective Analysis of Sensor Placement Optimization in Water Networks

Abstract

Terrorism concerns have recently led to increased interest in the potential use of sensors to detect malicious attacks on municipal water systems. A key deployment issue is identifying where the sensors should be placed in order to maximize the level of protection. Researchers have proposed several algorithms for constructing such sensor placements, each optimizing with respect to a different design objective. The use of disparate objectives raises several questions, in particular (1) What is the relationship between optimal placements obtained under different design objectives? and (2) Is there any risk in focusing on speci?c design objectives? To answer these questions, we develop mixed-integer linear programming models for the sensor placement problem over a range of design objectives. Using two real-world water systems, we show that optimal solutions with respect to one design objective are typically highly sub-optimal with respect to other design objectives. The implication is that robust algorithms for the sensor placement problem must carefully and simultaneously consider multiple, disparate design objectives.