Distributed Projection-Based Algorithms for Source Localization in Wireless Sensor Networks

We propose a novel approach to the source localization and tracking problem in wireless sensor networks. By applying minimax approximation and semidefinite relaxation, we transform the traditionally nonlinear and nonconvex problem into convex optimization problems for two different source localization models involving measured distance and received signal strength. Based on the problem transformation, we develop a fast low-complexity semidefinite programming (SDP) algorithm for two different source localization models. Our algorithm can either be used to estimate the source location or be used to initialize the original nonconvex maximum likelihood algorithm.

This chapter describes one of the major challenges in technology advancement of Wireless Sensor Networks (WSNs), i.e., Localization in WSNs. In recent years, sensor node localization is an emerging research area in WSNs. The sensor data become useless, if we do not know the location of the reporting node. Coordinates determination of the sensor node is a challenging problem and it is referred as localization problem. The nodes which has unknown coordinates is termed as target Nodes. Various localization methods can be utilized to find out the location of sensor nodes, those coordinates are not known in a system/network. Efficient WSN localization can be treated as multi-dimensional optimization problem which can be addressed through population based stochastic techniques, which involves the minimization of a function of differences between Euclidean and measured distance between sensor nodes. In this chapter various connectivity, range information and mobility based localization algorithms have been discussed. For optimizing the results of these algorithms, various computational intelligence (CI) based optimizing algorithms like Particle Swarm Optimization, Biogeography Based Optimization, Firefly Algorithm and Genetic Algorithm have been discussed. A choice between these algorithm is influenced by the localization accuracy expected to be and convergence rate.

In wireless sensor networks, sensor node localization is an important topic because sensor nodes are randomly scattered in the region of interest and they get connected into the network on their own. Localization information is needed in routing of data, reducing energy consumption and in location dependent data acquisition. We propose a localization scheme plus a medium access protocol that: (a) reduces power consumption; (b) does not require high power beacons; (c) provides better localization accuracy; and (d) helps in reducing collisions. The proposed localization scheme is based on received signal strength by the three masters. Moreover, it is a distributed algorithm.

This paper is concerned with localization in wireless sensor networks (WSNs). We propose a novel localization algorithm based beamforming. The performed localization algorithm is adopted for a typical communication model in WSNs involving two clusters of sensors at both transmitter and receiver sides of the communication link. The set of collaborative sensor nodes located at the transmit cluster could be assimilated to a distributed Multiple Input Multiple Output (MIMO) system [1], [2], [3]. We tackle the task of estimating the position of randomly distributed sensor nodes and we present a novel algorithm based on the beamforming approach [4], [5] and the received signal strength (SS) measurement. The correct operation of the proposed algorithm has been proved by simulation. The collected results for the sampling deviation of the estimator and the estimator variance are envisaged in order to evaluate the accuracy of the proposed algorithm.

Wireless sensor networks have important military and civilian applications where determining the geographical location of a specific event is crucial. High-accuracy event localization is a challenging task that depends on the type of event to track. Hence, this work proposes a general approach for achieving event localization in wireless sensor networks, keeping independence from the kind of signals emitted by such events. The proposed approach estimates the distance between an event and a sensor node according to the intensity of the signal perceived by that sensor. In addition, lateration and fingerprinting techniques are implemented to determine the location of particular events. In order to evaluate our proposal, acoustic event localization is implemented in a real wireless sensor network based on the Arduino hardware. Results from this specific implementation show an event localization error of approximately 0.2 m inside a 2×2 m area.

There has been a growing interest in the applications of wireless sensor networks in unattended environments. In such applications, sensor nodes are usually deployed randomly in an area of interest. Knowledge of accurate node location is essential in order to correlate the gathered data to the origin of the sensed phenomena and assure the relevance of the reported information. In this paper, we present an efficient anchor-free protocol for localization in wireless sensor networks. Each node discovers its neighbors that are within its transmission range and estimates their ranges. Our algorithm fuses local range measurements in order to form a network wide unified coordinate systems while minimizing the overhead incurred at the deployed sensors. Scalability is achieved through grouping sensors into clusters. Simulation results show that the proposed protocol achieves precise localization of sensors and maintains consistent error margins.

ABSTRACTLocation information of sensor nodes is of vital importance for most applications in wireless sensor networks (WSNs). This paper proposes a new range-free localisation algorithm using support vector machine (SVM) and polar coordinate system (PCS), LSVM-PCS. In LSVM-PCS, two sets of classes are first constructed based on sensor nodes’ polar coordinates. Using the boundaries of the defined classes, the operation region of WSN field is partitioned into a finite number of polar grids. Each sensor node can be localised into one of the polar grids by executing two localisation algorithms that are developed on the basis of SVM classification. The centre of the resident polar grid is then estimated as the location of the sensor node. In addition, a two-hop mass-spring optimisation (THMSO) is also proposed to further improve the localisation accuracy of LSVM-PCS. In THMSO, both neighbourhood information and non-neighbourhood information are used to refine the sensor node location. The results obtained verify that the proposed algorithm provides a significant improvement over existing localisation methods.

This paper addresses the problem of joint multi-source localization and environment perception in wireless sensor networks (WSNs) based on received signal strength (RSS). Contrary to the traditional RSS approaches which assume known number of sources and known parameter of environments, we propose to estimate the sources with unknown number and the unknown environmental parameter simultaneously. By assuming that the sources are sparse in the sensing field, a non-convex l1 regularized least squares problem is formulated. This non-convex problem is then decomposed to two simple subproblems, one for multi-source localization and another for environment perception. A joint multi-source localization and environment perception algorithm is proposed, with extensive simulations to validate its effectiveness.

Wireless sensor networks are an emerging technology deployed in many fields. Knowing the positions of sensor nodes is critical for many applications to perform their tasks. Hence, accurate node localisation in wireless sensor networks is an essential issue. The node localisation problem can be formulated as a multidimensional optimisation problem. In this study, the authors propose a node localisation scheme based on a sine–cosine algorithm. The proposed scheme addresses the flip ambiguity problem, which can badly affect the localisation accuracy of the entire network. The efficacy of the proposed scheme is evaluated through intensive experimentation under different scenarios. The obtained results show the superiority of the proposed scheme against other optimisation algorithms in terms of the localisation accuracy, the number of localised nodes, and the computation time.

Intelligent fusion of information derived from received signal strength and inertial measurements for indoor wireless localization

SummaryIndoor localization in wireless sensor networks is a challenging task. Static localization and moving target monitoring are addressed using ensemble learning method and received signal strength indicator. The suggested strategy combines several regression trees to have better performance. This solution has been experimentally evaluated using real measurements in an office room. The performance results have been analyzed through a comparison with learning‐based localization algorithms currently available in the literature. The analysis shows that the adopted solution is simple in term of computation, accurate and robust to environmental variation.

The problem of localization in wireless sensor networks where nodes do not use ranging hardware, remains a challenging problem, when considering the required location accuracy, energy expenditure and the duration of the localization phase. In this paper we propose a framework, called StarDust, for wireless sensor network localization based on passive optical components. In the StarDust framework, sensor nodes are equipped with optical retro-reflectors. An aerial device projects light towards the deployed sensor network, and records an image of the reflected light. An image processing algorithmis developed for obtaining the locations of sensor nodes. For matching a node ID to a location we propose a constraint-based label relaxation algorithm. We propose and develop localization techniques based on four types of constraints: node color, neighbor information, deployment time for a node and deployment location for a node. We evaluate the performance of a localization system based on our framework by localizing a network of 26 sensor nodes deployed in a 120-60ft2 area. The localization accuracy ranges from 2 ft to 5 ft while the localization time ranges from 10 milliseconds to 2 minutes.

Simultaneous localization and tracking (SLAT) in wireless sensor networks (WSNs) involves tracking the mobile target while calibrating the nearby sensor node locations. In practice, localization error propagation (EP) phenomenon will arise, due to the existence of the latest tracking error, target mobility, measurement error, and reference node location errors. In this case, the SLAT performance limits are crucial for the SLAT algorithm design and WSN deployment, and the study of localization EP principle is desirable. In this paper, we focus on the EP issues for the received signal strength-based SLAT scheme, where the measurement accuracy is assumed to be spatial-temporal-domain doubly random due to the target mobility, environment dynamics, and different surroundings at different reference nodes. First, the Cramer-Rao lower bound (CRLB) is derived to unveil both the target tracking EP and the node location calibration EP. In both cases, the EP principles turn out to be in a consistent form of the Ohm's Law in circuit theory. Second, the asymptotic CRLB analysis is then presented to reveal that both EP principles scale with the inverse of sensor node density. Meanwhile, it is shown that, the tracking and calibration accuracy only depends on the expectation of the measurement precision. Third, the convergence conditions, the convergence properties, and the balance state of the target tracking EP and the location calibration EP are examined to shed light on the EP characteristics of the SLAT scheme Finally, numerical simulations are presented to corroborate the EP analysis.

Barycentric coordinate-based distributed localization for wireless sensor networks subject to random lossy links

The performance of a wireless sensor network is heavily dependent on its localization information. Without this critical information, the data collected over the sensor node is meaningless. Traditional localization techniques such as GPS are very expensive and unsuitable, especially when a system requires multiple nodes. In this project, an RSSI-based trilateration algorithm is developed to detect the sensor nodes coordinates in a wireless sensor network that is targeted for forest fire detection application. The system is found to deliver excellent performance in sensor data collection and fire detection. On the other hand, node localization is achieved at an accuracy of ± 8.50 cm for both coordinates.