Sensor Placement for Area Monitoring

Oren Halpern
Sep 8, 2025
3 min read

A Complex Challenge Made Simple with GeoView

Positioning sensors—whether cameras, radars, or other devices—to monitor a specific area might sound straightforward. But in reality, it involves a series of intricate calculations and considerations:

🧠 Key Challenges in Sensor Deployment

Optimal Placement: Determining the best locations for sensors based on field of view, terrain topography, and environmental constraints.
Orientation Angles: Calculating precise yaw and pitch angles to maximize coverage and minimize blind spots.
Coverage Analysis: Identifying visible vs. hidden zones to assess total coverage and ensure mission success.

🛠️ What It Takes

This process demands a combination of data, tools, and expertise:

Databases: Height maps, undulation maps, geographic data, and more.
Software Tools: Line-of-sight (LoS) calculations, ground footprint analysis, and spatial modeling.
Expert Knowledge: A multidisciplinary team spanning GIS, electro-optics, mathematics, optimization, and software engineering.

🚀 Enter GeoView: Your Line-of-Sight Analysis Powerhouse

GeoView simplifies this complex workflow with advanced tools for LoS analysis at multiple levels:

🔍 LoS Visibility Tool

Allows users to place an observer and a target in 3D space and instantly determine visibility.

Incorporates the mathematical shape of the Earth (ellipsoid), the physical shape (geoid), and the undulation—the height difference between them—for highly accurate results, even across thousands of kilometers.
Adapts to the sensor type, whether optical or radio, ensuring tailored and reliable analysis.

🎥 Camera Tool

Empowers users to simulate and analyze camera positioning with remarkable accuracy:

3D Positioning & Orientation: Place and orient cameras in 3D space using geographic coordinates and Euler angles.
Field of View Definition: Customize the sensor’s field of view to match operational requirements.
Ground Footprint Calculation: Instantly compute the area on the ground captured by the sensor—critical for evaluating coverage and planning surveillance strategies.

Whether you're designing a surveillance network, planning a drone mission, or optimizing sensor layout for a smart city, the Camera Tool delivers the spatial insight you need to make confident, data-driven decisions.

Let me know if you'd like to integrate this into a full product overview or tailor it for a specific audience like defense, urban planning, or environmental monitoring.

🛠️ Camera Deployment Tool

GeoView’s Camera Deployment Tool offers a powerful framework for planning and optimizing sensor placement in complex environments. It enables users to define key operational parameters and simulate deployment scenarios with precision.

Friendly Polygon: Designate the area where sensors can be positioned.
Hostile Polygon: Define the region where targets are expected to appear.
Number of Sensors: Choose how many sensors to deploy—more sensors increase coverage but also raise costs.
Camera Height: Set the elevation of each camera above ground level; higher placement improves visibility and range.
Target Height: Specify the expected height of targets; taller targets are easier to detect.
Horizontal Field of View: Adjust the camera’s viewing angle—wider fields cover more area but may reduce resolution.
Maximum Range: Define the sensor’s effective range, factoring in resolution, pixel density, environmental conditions, and more.

This tool empowers users to balance performance, cost, and coverage—whether for surveillance, security, or situational awareness. With GeoView, strategic deployment becomes a data-driven decision, not a guessing game.