Information content-based determination of optimal sensor number

The ability to determine the optimal number of sensors for correct source localization and proper truncation value in pseudo-inverting of a system matrix is essential and has to be addressed rigorously. We propose a new methodology for determining the optimal number of sensors, based on the information content contained in a system matrix. An indicator of information content is defined as a linear dependency between columns of the matrix. Furthermore, the information content defines truncation strategy directly. The paper considers the problem of source localization in wireless sensor networks (WSNs) as an inverse problem and can be easily extended to a plethora of applications where source location has to be estimated. Such linear inverse problems arise in many areas of engineering and mathematical sciences. It is also important to mention that all simulations in this study are noise-free.