This paper focused on assessing the effectiveness of the signal Doppler frequency (SDF) method to locate a mobile emitter using a swarm of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). Based on simulation results, we showed the impact of various factors such as the number of UAVs, the movement parameters of the emitter and the sensors on location effectiveness. The study results also showed the dependence of the accuracy and continuity of the emitter coordinate estimation on the type of propagation environment, which was determined by line-of-sight (LOS) or non-LOS (NLOS) conditions. The applied research methodology allowed the selection of parameters of the analyzed location system that would minimize the error and maximize the monitoring time of the emitter position.
Keywords: Doppler effect; line-of-sight (LOS) and non-line-of-sight (NLOS) conditions; mobile emitter localization; signal Doppler frequency (SDF); swarm; unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV); urban area; wireless sensor network (WSN).