A Semidefinite Programming Approach to 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.