Localization of Submerged Sensors Using a Single Mobile Beacon

Abstract

Unswerving navigation and positioning are becoming imperative in more and more underwater applications for the sustenance of flora and fauna of our marine biome. As marine life helps determine the very nature of our planet at a fundamental level, it becomes crucial to obtain accurate environmental data by using underwater sensors to enable the provision of underwater sanctuary areas. In addition, an underwater wireless sensor network (UWSN) is envisioned to enable application for offshore exploration for the profusion of the wealth underwater world has. It is not only monetary value, it is also deemed necessary to introduce controlled underwater vehicles for surveillance, to find lost objects and to track pollutants. Due to all these potential factors, researchers have shown fervent interest in exploring and exploiting underwater localization schemes to fulfill the multitude of needs as the time demands. To achieving such, a wide range of sensors are deployed underwater to gather data. Many a times, precise coordinates of the deployed sensors which actuate or collect data are vital, as data without the knowledge of its actual origin has limited value. So, a pragmatic dynamic approach is obligatory to localize submerged sensors precisely with minimal logistics, which will require no preinstalled infrastructure and reference points.