As the demand for resources increases with the growth of human populations, interest in developing new methodologies for the discovery and exploitation of these resources continues to grow. For example, with the emergence of increasing demand for petroleum products from rapidly developing countries, the impetus to find new reserves of oil has taken a pre-eminent role in the global economy. Moreover, increasing global populations have placed greater demands on securing the borders of countries in proximity to large populations displaced by economic stressors affecting their less fortunate neighbors. In addition, the growth of human populations along with increasing polarizations within such populations has raised the specter of terrorist assaults affecting domestic tranquility within sovereign territories. All the above, suggest applications that may profit from methodologies for monitoring large tracts of land with sensor networks.
Thus, scientists are engaged in developing new methodologies for the deployment of diverse sensor networks on the surface of the Earth, whether those sensors, for example, are directed towards the discovery of new mineral resources, or towards the defense of countries from emerging threats to their security.
The drawings referred to in this description should not be understood as being drawn to scale except if specifically noted.