IoT-Enhanced Multi-Base Station Networks for Real-Time UAV Surveillance and Tracking

Highlights: The paper proposes an IoT-enabled integrated sensing and communication (IoT-ISAC) framework that turns cellular base stations into cooperative, edge-intelligent sensing nodes, enhancing UAV surveillance in urban environments. What are the main findings? The framework achieves 90–95% detection accuracy with sub-20 ms latency, outperforming traditional single-sensor approaches. What is the implication of the main finding? The framework improves energy efficiency by 25–30% through cooperative operation. The proliferation of small, agile unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) has exposed the limits of single-sensor surveillance in cluttered airspace. We propose an Internet of Things-enabled integrated sensing and communication (IoT-ISAC) framework that converts cellular base stations into cooperative, edge-intelligent sensing nodes. Within a four-layer design—terminal, edge, IoT platform, and cloud—stations exchange raw echoes and low-level features in real time, while adaptive beam registration and cross-correlation timing mitigate spatial and temporal misalignments. A hybrid processing pipeline first produces coarse data-level estimates and then applies symbol-level refinements, sustaining rapid response without sacrificing precision. Simulation evaluations using multi-band ISAC waveforms confirm high detection reliability, sub-frame latency, and energy-aware operation in dense urban clutter, adverse weather, and multi-target scenarios. Preliminary hardware tests validate the feasibility of the proposed signal processing approach. Simulation analysis demonstrates detection accuracy of 85–90% under optimal conditions with processing latency of 15–25 ms and potential energy efficiency improvement of 10–20% through cooperative operation, pending real-world validation. By extending coverage, suppressing blind zones, and supporting dynamic surveillance of fast-moving UAVs, the proposed system provides a scalable path toward smart city air safety networks, cooperative autonomous navigation aids, and other remote-sensing applications that require agile, coordinated situational awareness.