Distributed Spatio-Temporal Spectrum Sensing: An Experimental Study

In this experimental study, we propose simple spectrum sensing algorithms for localizing transmitters in space using frequency agile sensors that are capable of sensing only a limited bandwidth at any instant of time. We present heuristics to localize a single transmitter and multiple asynchronous sources transmitting in the same band, by applying simple triangulation techniques based on sensed power at the each sensor. We also address the problem of finding the spectral occupancy over a wide band of frequencies, using frequency agile sensors capable of sensing a limited bandwidth. We identify important practical issues in frequency agile spectrum sensing, including the observation that simple algorithms like energy detection and triangulation methods for localization, though simple, are not sufficient in "identifying" heterogeneous transmissions interfering with each other in a given location.