Mao G., Fidan B. (eds.) Localization Algorithms and Strategies for Wireless Sensor Networks

IGI Global, 2009. — 527 p.Distributed sensor networks have been discussed for more than 30 years, but the vision of wireless sensor networks has been brought into reality only by the recent advances in wireless communications and electronics, which have enabled the development of low-cost, low-power and multi-functional sensors that are small in size and communicate over short distances. Today, cheap, smart sensors, networked through wireless links and deployed in large numbers, provide unprecedented opportunities for monitoring and controlling homes, cities, and the environment. In addition, networked sensors have a broad spectrum of applications in the defence area, generating new capabilities for reconnaissance and surveillance as well as other tactical applications.
Localization (location estimation) capability is essential in most wireless sensor network applications. In environmental monitoring applications such as animal habitat monitoring, bush fire surveillance, water quality monitoring and precision agriculture, the measurement data are meaningless without an accurate knowledge of the location from where the data are obtained. Moreover, the availability of location information may enable a myriad of applications such as inventory management, intrusion detection, road traffic monitoring, health monitoring, reconnaissance and surveillance.
Wireless sensor network localization techniques are used to estimate the locations of the sensors with unknown positions in a network using the available a priori knowledge of positions of, typically, a few specific sensors in the network and inter-sensor measurements such as distance, time difference of arrival, angle of arrival and connectivity. Sensor network localization techniques are not just trivial extensions of the traditional localization techniques like GPS or radar-based geolocation techniques. They involve further challenges in several aspects: (1) a variety of measurements may be used in sensor network localization; (2) the environments in which sensor networks are deployed are often complicated, involving urban environments, indoor environments and non-line-of-sight conditions; (3) wireless sensors are often small and low-cost sensors with limited computational capabilities; (4) sensor network localization techniques are often required to be implemented using available measurements and with minimal hardware investment; (5) sensor network localization techniques are often required to be suitable for deployment in large scale multi-hop networks; and (6) the choice of sensor network localization techniques to be used often involves consideration of the trade-off among cost, size and localization accuracy to suit the requirements of a variety of applications. It is these challenges that make localization in wireless sensor networks unique and intriguing.
This book is intended to cover the major techniques that have been widely used for wireless sensor network localization and capture the most recent developments in the area. It is based on a number of stand-alone chapters that together cover the subject matter in a fully comprehensive manner. However, despite its focus on localization in wireless sensor networks, many localization techniques introduced in the book can be applied in a variety of wireless networks beyond sensor networks. The targeted audience for the book includes professionals who are designers and/or planners for wireless localization systems, researchers (academics and graduate students), and those who would like to learn about the field. Although the book is not exactly a textbook, the format and flow of information have been organized such that it can be used as a textbook for graduate courses and research-oriented courses that deal with wireless sensor networks and wireless localization techniques.Introduction to Wireless Sensor Network Localization
Measurements Used in Wireless Sensor Networks Localization
Localization Algorithms and Strategies for Wireless Sensor Networks: Monitoring and Surveillance Techniques for Target Tracking
RF Ranging Methods and Performance Limits for Sensor Localization
Calibration and Measurement of Signal Strength for Sensor Localization
Graph Theoretic Techniques in the Analysis of Uniquely Localizable Sensor Networks
Sequential Localization with Inaccurate Measurements
MDS-Based Localization
Statistical Location Detection
Theory and Practice of Signal Strength-Based Localization in Indoor Environments
On a Class of Localization Algorithms Using Received Signal Strength
Machine Learning Based Localization
Robust Localization Using Identifying Codes
Evaluation of Localization Algorithms
Accuracy Bounds for Wireless Localization Methods
Experiences in Data Processing and Bayesian Filtering Applied to Localization and Tracking in Wireless Sensor Networks
A Wireless Mesh Network Platform for Vehicle Positioning and Location Tracking
Beyond Localization: Communicating Using Virtual Coordinates