  This paper addresses the problem of bearing-based network localization, which
aims to localize all the nodes in a static network given the locations of a
subset of nodes termed anchors and inter-node bearings measured in a common
reference frame. The contributions of the paper are twofold. Firstly, we
propose necessary and sufficient conditions for network localizability with
both algebraic and rigidity theoretic interpretations. The analysis of the
localizability heavily relies on the recently developed bearing rigidity theory
and a special matrix termed the bearing Laplacian. Secondly, we propose a
linear distributed protocol for bearing-based network localization. The
protocol can globally localize a network if and only if the network is
localizable. The sensitivity of the protocol to constant measurement errors is
also analyzed. One novelty of this work is that the localizability analysis and
localization protocol are applicable to networks in arbitrary dimensional
spaces.
