JLPR: Joint range-based localization using trilateration and packet routing in Wireless Sensor Networks with mobile sinks

Location-awareness plays an important role in Wireless Sensor Networks (WSNs) by aiding in tasks such as packet routing, event mapping, and energy savings. The use of Global Positioning System (GPS) on sensor nodes is not always viable due to a number of issues, e.g., power constraints. Location estimation solves the problem of computing sensor node positions by using information from devices that can house a GPS module, e.g., a mobile sink. However, GPS error may affect the accuracy of position estimations. In this paper, we propose a range-based scheme that uses trilateration and also handles GPS error. The proposed approach takes advantage of sink beacons used in packet routing. These beacons are used as position packets in order to estimate the position of nodes while reducing network overhead. However, a mobile sink poses issues when used as a source of position packets. Therefore, we propose Position Distance, Circle Limit and a Hybrid version of the algorithms in order to decide on the best position packets from the sink to be used in trilateration. An extensive set of performance evaluation experiments is conducted and results show that the proposed algorithms can improve position estimation accuracy, while sustaining acceptable packet delivery ratio and reducing network overhead.