Patent ID: 7457860

Claim:
A method for deriving node localization information within a distributed communication network, the distributed communication network comprising a plurality of sub-networks, each sub-network having a plurality of nodes, wherein said nodes are separated by paths, the method comprising: setting not less than one value for a local mapping range; computing local maps for each sub-network within the distributed communication network by: estimating the shortest path between a plurality of pairs of the nodes in the sub-network, constructing a matrix, wherein said matrix includes said estimated shortest paths, applying multidimensional scaling to said matrix and identifying the eigenvectors corresponding to the largest eigenvalues, and constructing a local map of the location of said plurality of pairs of nodes within the sub-network utilizing said eigenvectors; merging the local maps for each sub-network to form a relative map for the distributed communication network; and transforming the distributed communication network relative map to an absolute map for the distributed communication network, wherein each of the sub-networks includes a local map having not less than one pair of the plurality of pairs of nodes within the distributed communication network.