An overview of localization algorithms in mobile wireless sensor networks

Localization problem in mobile wireless sensor networks has drawn widely attention in recent years due to the rapid advances in mobile computing and improvements of wireless communication technologies. Indeed, mobile sensor networks become a valuable asset for many applications, since sensors can be mobile or easily tethered to mobile entities such as robots, vehicles or human. Thereby, it is crucial to support mobility without compromising the quality of applications that require wireless communications. Although, numerous research activities have successfully addressed the localization problem in static networks, few studies deal with the localization issue in mobile sensor networks. In this paper, we present a survey on existing work in this area and we address the gaps for actual deployment of mobile wireless sensor networks. Following our analysis, we propose a classification of the most important algorithms and schemes that outcome from recent literature. We discuss their basic principles, characteristics and concepts. Finally, we point out open research issues, their challenges and some future directions for localization in mobile wireless sensor networks.