Location, Localization, and Localizability

With the popularity of wireless networks, location-based service (LBS) has quickly entered people's daily life. In practice, LBS has a large range of applications and often manifests in various forms in different types of networks. For example, E-911 in the USA, or corresponding E-112 in Europe, offers timely and accurate assistance to the emergency callers by locating them through mobile communication networks or global positioning system (GPS). Location information also plays a major role in modern asset management. Some companies, in particular hospitals, have deployed the WiFi-based solutions for real-time equipment locating and tracking, in order to increase equipment utilization and reduce overpurchasing costs. In addition, sensor network, a typical type of wireless ad hoc networks, has shown its great prospects of environmental monitoring, industrial sensing and diagnosis, battlefield surveillance, context-aware computing, and more. Autonomous localization of sensor nodes is essential since location makes the sensory data geographically meaningful. In all, many applications and services of wireless networks directly or indirectly rely on location information.This book aims to provide a comprehensive and in-depth view of location-awareness technology in today's popular wireless networks. However, the obvious diversity of networks, from short-range bluetooth to long-range telecommunication network, makes it very challenging to organize materials. Although general principles exist, the implementation differs from network to network and application to application.The book can serve as a guide book for the technicians and practitioners in the industry of real-time location systems (RTLS) and wireless networks. They can expect to obtain a comprehensive understanding of the field through reading the book, in order to compare and select localization solutions fulfilling various application requirements. Abundant references of the book open up a broader domain for advanced study. In addition, the book is tailored toward a textbook for college researchers and graduate students. The book includes the state-of-the-art research results in many technical journals and conferences during its preparation. Readers can track trends and hot topics in the field.