Infrastructureless location aware configuration for sensor networks

In large sensor networks nodes must self-configure their communication, location, and other characteristics. GPS and similar systems determine location today, but they require substantial infrastructure in the environment or on sensor nodes to locate nodes in a physical coordinate system. For many applications, logical location - the relationship of nodes with each other and their environment - can be more important than physical location. For example, distance along a road and presence of intersections may be more relevant than Euclidean coordinates for applications that track or guide drivers. In this paper, we present a novel algorithm, deployment order, for logical location determination. Deployment order exploits node deployment patterns and simple user interactions to define logical topologies in a completely distributed manner. With minimal user interaction it can establish arbitrarily complex logical topologies. We illustrate the algorithm through the "follow-me" application, which is an easy-to-deploy sensornet guidance system suitable for use in office buildings as well as inhospitable environments (underground, in damaged buildings, etc.). Finally, we demonstrate how the addition of landmarks allows the conversion from logical locations to approximate physical locations.