NeTS: Small: RUI: Dynamic Indoor Location Computing and Benchmarking

This award is funded under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Public Law 111-5).

The problems of indoor location computing are not yet fully solved. They still present serious challenges and involve phenomena not yet fully understood. There is indeed a considerable distance toward a fully scalable and affordable system that is readily deployable using existing technologies (such as IEEE 802.11), and is able to provide accurate location information for indoor mobile computing. This project is developing realistic radio propagation models and adaptive signal-location maps particularly adapted to different building environments leading to robust and competitive techniques for location determination. The research team is investigating an innovative direction to develop a benchmark standard in order to capture and classify critical environmental and system factors and to provide performance bounds as well as reproducible test-beds for indoor research. The key of the research is to quantify radio signal measurement inaccuracy under various environments. This is achieved by measuring packets during the remodeling process of the second floor of the Science and Technology building, the new construction of the Student Campus Center at USCB, and by simulating various partitions between the transmitter and the receiver. This project transforms indoor location determination systems from high cost, labor intensive, imprecise, and static technologies to an affordable, automated, accurate, and dynamic system. This project attacks theoretical and systems challenges and will enable practical deployment of the ARIADNE indoor system. Moreover, this exciting project will help attract, educate and retain talented undergraduate students and also motivate them for higher studies.