A Computationally Efficient Target Localization Algorithm in Underwater Wireless Sensor Networks.

Localization is of paramount importance for underwater wireless sensor networks (UWSNs). However, achieving accurate location is infeasible, especially in the highly dynamic underwater environment. The acoustic signal may suffer hybrid loss, including path and absorption loss, which dramatically degrades the localization accuracy. Even though some localization methods have been proposed, the trade-off between accuracy and computational complexity cannot be well balanced. In this context, the paper proposes a computationally efficient method that investigates the localization problem in the alternating nonnegative constrained least squares (ANCLS) framework after linearization operation. The potential solutions are divided into two groups, wherein the optimal one is filtered under the constraint by exchanging the variables from one to another. A block principal pivoting-based localization (BPPL) method is then presented to estimate the target's location. Simulations reveal that the computational complexity and the localization accuracy of BPPL are competitive compared with the state-of-the-art methods in different scenarios.