Real-time sensor selection for time-varying networks with guaranteed performance

This study addresses the challenge of selecting sensors for linear time-varying (LTV) systems dynamically. We present a framework that designs an online sparse sensor schedule with performance guarantees using randomized algorithms for large-scale LTV systems. Our approach calculates each sensor’s contribution at each time in real-time and immediately decides whether to keep or discard the sensor in the schedule, with no possibility of reversal. Additionally, we provide new performance guarantees that approximate the fully-sensed LTV system with a multiplicative approximation factor and an additive one by using a constant average number of active sensors at each time. We demonstrate the validity of our findings through several numerical examples.