Distance matrix reconstruction from incomplete distance information for sensor network localization

Abstract

This paper focuses on the principled study of distance reconstruction for distance-based node localization. We address an important issue in node localization by showing that a highly incomplete set of inter-node distance measurements obtained in ad-hoc node deployments carries sufficient information for the accurate reconstruction of the missing distances, even in the presence of noise and sensor node failures. We provide an efficient and provably accurate algorithm for this reconstruction, and we show that the resulting error is bounded, decreasing at a rate that is inversely proportional to √n, the square root of the number of nodes in the region of deployment. Although this result is applicable to many localization schemes, in this paper we illustrate its use in conjunction with the popular MultiDimensional Scaling algorithm. Our analysis reveals valuable insights and key factors to consider during the sensor network setup phase, to improve the quality of the position estimates. © 2006 IEEE.