Time and energy efficient localization

Time-critical Location Based Service (LBS) applications in mobile ad hoc networks require fast localization. The conventional localization techniques are, unfortunately, unsuitable for such applications, for they neglect the time needed for localization. As a result, time-critical information may become obsolete, and the mobile users such as vehicles may have moved to new locations before the localization procedure is completed. To address this issue, we formulate a notion of On-Demand Fast Localization (ODFL) and devise a framework to implement this concept over existing routing protocols in MANETs. We present analytical and simulation results to demonstrate that ODFL can significantly reduce the time solely needed for localization before starting time-critical applications. Moreover, we show that ODFL can also improve location privacy and reduce energy consumptions.