Location Estimation Using Differential RSS with Spatially Correlated Shadowing

In this paper, we propose a new localization technique using differential received signal strength (DRSS) which does not require signal source cooperation for location estimation. Specifically, we introduce a DRSS-based localization framework as well as its geometric interpretation for both local and global positioning to facilitate understanding of the approach. Then, a least-squares (LS) optimization framework is formulated for DRSS-based location estimation (DRLE) which makes full use of the DRSS measurements available. Our study shows that the localization performance of DRLE and its RSS-based counterpart (RLE) is substantially affected by spatially correlated shadow fading under which their localization behaviors are found to be different. Finally, we argue that DRLE has practical advantages over other positioning techniques, and show that its location accuracy is comparable or even superior to RLE.