Theory and Practice of Signal Strength-Based Localization in Indoor Environments

Localization Approaches

The numerous approaches to localization defy a simple taxonomy. However, there are only a handful of overall strategies and approaches. In all cases anchors or landmarks, i.e., sensor or gateway nodes with known locations are needed at some point in the process.

Aggregate approaches position sensors using a collection of measurements from a large number of nodes. In contrast, individual approaches use information between a single sensor and a set of landmarks.

Orthogonal to the number of sensors participating in the process is the algorithmic approach used. Lateration approaches use some function of distance between the sensors and the landmarks. In contrast, Scene matching approaches match sensor observations to known maps and do not require any concept of direct physical distance in the algorithm.