Energy-aware localization algorithm for Ocean Internet of Things

Purpose Localization is one of the critical issues in Ocean Internet of Things (OITs). The existing research results of localization in OITs are very limited. It poses many challenges due to the difficulty of deploy beacon accurately, the difficulty of transmission distance estimation in harsh ocean environment and the underwater node mobility. This paper aims to provide a novel localization algorithm to solve these problems. Design/methodology/approach This paper takes the ship with accurate position as a beacon, analyzes the relationship between underwater energy attenuation and node distance and takes them into OITs localization algorithm design. Then, it studies the movement regulation of underwater nodes in the action of ocean current, and designs an Energy-aware Localization Algorithm (ELA) for OITs. Findings Proposing an ELA. ELA takes the ship with accurate position information as a beacon to solve the problem of beacon deployment. ELA does not need to calculate the information transmission distance which solves the problem of distance estimation. It takes underwater node movement regulation into computation to solve the problem of node mobility. Originality value This paper provides an ELA based on the relationship between propagation energy attenuation and node distance for OITs. It solves the problem of localization in dynamic underwater networks.