On the Feasibility of Ad-Hoc Localization Systems

Ad-hoc localization systems enable nodes in a sensor network to fix their positions in a global coordinate system using a relatively small number of anchor nodes that know their position through external means (e.g., GPS). Because location information provides context to sensed data, such systems are a critical component of many sensor networks and have therefore received a fair amount of recent attention in the sensor networks literature. The efficacy of these systems is a function of the density of deployment and of anchor nodes, as well as the error in distance estimation (ranging) between nodes. In this paper, we examine how these factors impact the performance of the system. This examination lays the groundwork for the main question we consider in this paper: Can the ability to estimate bearing to neighboring nodes greatly increase the performance of ad-hoc localization systems? We discuss the design of ad-hoc localization systems that use range together with either bearing or imprecise bearing (such as sectoring) information, and evaluate these systems using analysis and simulation.