DEVS modelling and simulation of persistent monitoring in spatio-temporal varying environments

Consider a network of mobile autonomous agents fitted with energy-constrained and limited sensing capabilities, which are deployed to discover and persistently (continuously) monitor a given time-varying physical environment. In order to adequately match both the technological potential of sensors and the applications finalities, the agents coordination policies should be established according to the manner in which they can act, while responding to their local/global objectives. After discerning and defining pertinent local/global objectives, we seek to design viable coordination policies and propose efficient solutions which takes into account both the network mobility and the versatile spatio-temporal character of the environment of interest. Based on the DEVS formalism, the problem of persistent monitoring in a spatio-temporal changing environment is handled via a multi-agent system, able to exhibit scalability, decentralization and flexibility features. Some preliminary obtained results are illustrated.