Virtual radar approach to event localization in sensor networks

In this paper, we propose an alternative approach, which enables drastic simplification of sensor node functionality, by moving the complexity to a special collector node. The collector node collects multiple snapshots of the activity in the sensor field, and initiates collection at every snapshot by sending a beacon to the sensor nodes. The collector node uses the received signal over multiple snapshots to obtain an "image" of the activity in the sensor field. Nodes that hear this beacon and have activity to report, respond, timing their response with a "starts transmission sequence" in the beacon, thus creating a radar-like geometry. This virtual radar paradigm, therefore approaches event localization in sensor networks.