Error characteristics of ad hoc positioning systems (aps)

Abstract

APS algorithms use the basic idea of distance vector routing to find positions in an ad hoc network using only a fraction of landmarks, for example GPS enabled nodes. All the nodes in the network are assumed to have the possibility of measuring: range, angle of arrival (AOA), orientation, or a combination of them. We give a lower bound for positioning error in a multihop network for a range/angle free algorithm, and examine the error characteristic of four classes of multihop APS algorithms under various condition, using theoretical analysis and simulations. Analysis of range/angle free, range based, angle based, and multimodal algorithms show a complex tradeoff between the capabilities used, the density of the network, ratio of landmarks, and the quality of the position obtained.