Sensor placement via large deviations in the Eikonal equation

In this work, we address the problem of optimally placing a finite number of sensors within a given region so as to minimize the mean or maximal distance to the points of the domain. To tackle this natural geometric performance criterion, formulated in terms of distance functions, we combine tools from geometric analysis with a classical result of Varadhan (Commun Pure Appl Math 20:431–455, 1967), which provides an efficient approximation of the distance function via the solution of a simple elliptic PDE. The effectiveness of the proposed approach is demonstrated through illustrative numerical simulations.