Asymmetric Event-Driven Node Localization in Wireless Sensor Networks

• Published in: IEEE transactions on parallel and distributed systems Vol. 23; no. 4; pp. 634 - 642
• Main Authors: Stoleru, R., Tian He, Mathiharan, S. S., George, S. M., Stankovic, J. A.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: New York IEEE 01.04.2012; The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, Inc. (IEEE)
• Subjects: Accuracy; asymmetric function; Asymmetry; Computer science; Design engineering; Distribution functions; Event detection; Hardware; Localization; Materials; Networks; node localization; Outdoor; Position (location); Sensors; Wireless sensor networks
• ISSN: 1045-9219; 1558-2183
• DOI: 10.1109/TPDS.2011.227

Localization of wireless sensor nodes has long been regarded as a problem that is difficult to solve, especially when considering characteristics of real-world environments. This paper formally describes, designs, implements, and evaluates a novel localization system called Spotlight. The system uses spatiotemporal properties of well-controlled events in the network, light in this case, to obtain locations of sensor nodes. Performance of the system is evaluated through deployments of Mica2 and XSM motes in an outdoor environment, where 20 cm localization error is achieved. A sensor network consisting of any number of nodes deployed in a 2,500 m 2 area can be localized in under 10 minutes. Submeter localization error in an outdoor environment is made possible without equipping the wireless sensor nodes with specialized ranging hardware.