Distributed Localization of Coverage Holes Using Topological Persistence

We develop distributed algorithms to detect and localize coverage holes in sensor networks. We neither assume coordinate information of the nodes, neither any distances between the nodes. We use algebraic topological methods to define a coverage hole, and develop provably correct algorithm to detect a hole. We then partition the network into smaller subnetworks, while ensuring that the holes are preserved, and checking for holes in each. We show that repeating this process leads to localizing the coverage holes. We demonstrate the improved complexity of our algorithm using simulations.