scholarly journals L5IN: Overview of an Indoor Navigation Pilot Project

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (4) ◽  
pp. 624
Author(s):  
Caroline Schuldt ◽  
Hossein Shoushtari ◽  
Nils Hellweg ◽  
Harald Sternberg
Keyword(s):  
Singular Systems ◽  
Holistic Approach ◽  
Pilot Project ◽  
Indoor Navigation ◽  
Indoor Environments ◽  
Navigation Systems ◽  
Time Data ◽  
Building Information ◽  
Map Generation ◽  
Enclosed Space

While outdoor navigation systems are already represented everywhere, the enclosed space is much less developed. The project Level 5 Indoor Navigation (L5IN) presents a new approach with mobile phone standard 5G as the orientation signal and without additional infrastructure for navigation in indoor environments. The aim of this project is to use the new available 5G technology to show how navigation systems, which have thus far only been available in the outdoor segment, can now be integrated into existing smartphone systems for indoor navigation. This paper gives an overview of the project and presents the different work packages leading to a holistic approach towards the development of an indoor navigation application for pedestrians. By using a specific app with open interfaces, it is planned to make navigation possible in all buildings modeled according to certain standards. The challenge involved is that, unlike outdoor maps, there is no map basis for buildings. For this reason, different approaches to map generation were examined. In a building information model (BIM), all information will be collected and made available via a database for positioning and visualization. The focus is furthermore on positioning, achieved through smartphone sensors and 5G, so that users can orientate themselves in buildings without having to connect to singular systems. It shall be shown that positioning with a standard deviation of 2–3 m and a confidence interval of 68 % is possible. Another advantage of 5G, the ability to send real-time data in higher data packages, will be used for data transmission. The basic idea of 5G-based indoor navigation will be enabled with radio cells of the providers, which will be set up on the HafenCity University campus. The complex university building will be used as a prototype environment.

scholarly journals A Simplified Method of Cartographic Visualisation of Buildings’ Interiors (2D+) for Navigation Applications

2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (6) ◽  
pp. 407
Author(s):  
Dariusz Gotlib ◽  
Michał Wyszomirski ◽  
Miłosz Gnat
Keyword(s):  
Computer Aided Design ◽  
3D Model ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Original Method ◽  
Facility Management ◽  
Indoor Navigation ◽  
Location Based Services ◽  
Navigation Systems ◽  
Building Information ◽  
The One

This article proposes an original method of a coherent and simplified cartographic presentation of the interior of buildings called 2D+, which can be used in geoinformation applications that do not support an extensive three-dimensional visualisation or do not have access to a 3D model of the building. A simplified way of cartographic visualisation can be used primarily in indoor navigation systems and other location-based services (LBS) applications. It can also be useful in systems supporting facility management (FM) and various kinds of geographic information systems (GIS). On the one hand, it may increase an application’s efficiency; on the other, it may unify the method of visualisation in the absence of a building’s 3D model. Thanks to the proposed method, it is possible to achieve the same effect regardless of the data source used: Building Information Modelling (BIM), a Computer-aided Design (CAD) model, or traditional architectural and construction drawings. Such a solution may be part of a broader concept of a multi-scale presentation of buildings’ interiors. The article discusses the issues of visualising data and converting data to the appropriate coordinate system, as well as the properties of the application model of data.

scholarly journals On the Right Track: Comfort and Confusion in Indoor Environments

2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 132 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nina Vanhaeren ◽  
Laure De Cock ◽  
Lieselot Lapon ◽  
Nico Van de Weghe ◽  
Kristien Ooms ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Focus Group ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Local Level ◽  
Route Planning ◽  
Indoor Navigation ◽  
Indoor Environments ◽  
Navigation Systems ◽  
Online Study ◽  
Planning Algorithm ◽  
The Right

Indoor navigation systems are not well adapted to the needs of their users. The route planning algorithms implemented in these systems are usually limited to shortest path calculations or derivatives, minimalizing Euclidian distance. Guiding people along routes that adhere better to their cognitive processes could ease wayfinding in indoor environments. This paper examines comfort and confusion perception during wayfinding by applying a mixed-method approach. The aforementioned method combined an exploratory focus group and a video-based online survey. From the discussions in the focus group, it could be concluded that indoor wayfinding must be considered at different levels: the local level and the global level. In the online survey, the focus was limited to the local level, i.e., local environmental characteristics. In this online study, the comfort and confusion ratings of multiple indoor navigation situations were analyzed. In general, the results indicate that open spaces and stairs need to be taken into account in the development of a more cognitively-sounding route planning algorithm. Implementing the results in a route planning algorithm could be a valuable improvement of indoor navigation support.

scholarly journals Indoor Navigation Systems for Visually Impaired Persons: Mapping the Features of Existing Technologies to User Needs

Sensors ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 20 (3) ◽  
pp. 636 ◽  
Author(s):  
Darius Plikynas ◽  
Arūnas Žvironas ◽  
Andrius Budrionis ◽  
Marius Gudauskis
Keyword(s):  
Visually Impaired ◽  
Evaluation Criteria ◽  
Indoor Navigation ◽  
Public Institutions ◽  
Indoor Environments ◽  
Navigation Systems ◽  
Global Positioning ◽  
Visually Impaired Persons ◽  
Head Level ◽  
Outdoor Navigation

Currently, several outdoor navigation and orientation electronic traveling aid (ETA) solutions for visually impaired (VI) people are commercially available or in active development. This paper’s survey of blind experts has shown that after outdoor navigation, the second most important ETA feature for VI persons is indoor navigation and orientation (in public institutions, supermarkets, office buildings, homes, etc.). VI persons need ETA for orientation and navigation in unfamiliar indoor environments with embedded features for the detection and recognition of obstacles (not only on the ground but also at head level) and desired destinations such as rooms, staircases, and elevators. The development of such indoor navigation systems, which do not have Global Positioning System (GPS) locational references, is challenging and requires an overview and evaluation of existing systems with different navigation technologies. This paper presents an evaluation and comparison of state-of-the-art indoor navigation solutions, and the research implications provide a summary of the critical observations, some insights, and directions for further developments. The paper maps VI needs in relation to research and development (R&D) trends using the evaluation criteria deemed most important by blind experts.

scholarly journals Spatial representation framework for better indoor navigation by people with visual impairment

2019 ◽  
Vol 13 (4) ◽  
pp. 212-227
Author(s):  
Watthanasak Jeamwatthanachai ◽  
Mike Wald ◽  
Gary Wills
Keyword(s):  
Visual Impairment ◽  
Spatial Representation ◽  
Relevant Literature ◽  
Autonomous Systems ◽  
Indoor Navigation ◽  
Navigation Systems ◽  
Spatial Awareness ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Essential Components ◽  
Building Information

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to validate a framework for spatial representation, aka the spatial representation framework (SRF), to define spaces and building information required by people with visual impairment as a foundation of indoor maps for indoor navigation systems. Design/methodology/approach The SRF was first created with seven main components by a review of the relevant literature and state-of-the-art technologies shown in the preliminary study. This research comprised of two tasks: investigating problems and behaviors while accessing spaces and buildings by visually impaired people (VIP) and validating the SRF where 45 participants were recruited (30 VIP and 15 experts). Findings The findings revealed a list of problems and challenges were used to validate and redefine the spatial representation, which was validated by both VIP and experts. The framework subsequently consisted of 11 components categorized into five layers, each layer of which is responsible for a different function. Research limitations/implications This framework provides essential components required for building standard indoor maps as a foundation for indoor navigations systems for people with visual impairment. Practical implications This framework lays the foundation for a range of indoor-based applications by using this SRF to represent indoor spaces. Example applications include: indoor navigation by people with disabilities, robots and autonomous systems, security and surveillance, and context and spatial awareness. Originality/value This paper presents the validated spatial representation for indoor navigation by people with visual impairment with its details and description, methodology, results and findings of the validation of the SRF.

scholarly journals RETHINKING INDOOR LOCALIZATION SOLUTIONS TOWARDS THE FUTURE OF MOBILE LOCATION-BASED SERVICES

2017 ◽  
Vol IV-4/W4 ◽  
pp. 235-247 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. Guney
Keyword(s):  
Indoor Localization ◽  
Smart Cities ◽  
Indoor Navigation ◽  
Location Based Services ◽  
Outdoor Environment ◽  
Indoor Environments ◽  
Navigation Systems ◽  
Positioning Systems ◽  
Indoor Location ◽  
High Level

Satellite navigation systems with GNSS-enabled devices, such as smartphones, car navigation systems, have changed the way users travel in outdoor environment. GNSS is generally not well suited for indoor location and navigation because of two reasons: First, GNSS does not provide a high level of accuracy although indoor applications need higher accuracies. Secondly, poor coverage of satellite signals for indoor environments decreases its accuracy. So rather than using GNSS satellites within closed environments, existing indoor navigation solutions rely heavily on installed sensor networks. There is a high demand for accurate positioning in wireless networks in GNSS-denied environments. However, current wireless indoor positioning systems cannot satisfy the challenging needs of indoor location-aware applications. Nevertheless, access to a user’s location indoors is increasingly important in the development of context-aware applications that increases business efficiency. In this study, how can the current wireless location sensing systems be tailored and integrated for specific applications, like smart cities/grids/buildings/cars and IoT applications, in GNSS-deprived areas.

scholarly journals S-PDR: SBAUPT-Based Pedestrian Dead Reckoning Algorithm for Free-Moving Handheld Devices

Geomatics ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 1 (2) ◽  
pp. 148-176
Author(s):  
Maan Khedr ◽  
Naser El-Sheimy
Keyword(s):  
Smart Cities ◽  
Dead Reckoning ◽  
Human Motion ◽  
Indoor Navigation ◽  
Location Based Services ◽  
Navigation Systems ◽  
Short Term ◽  
Navigation Solution ◽  
Correction Technique ◽  
Pedestrian Dead Reckoning

Mobile location-based services (MLBS) are attracting attention for their potential public and personal use for a variety of applications such as location-based advertisement, smart shopping, smart cities, health applications, emergency response, and even gaming. Many of these applications rely on Inertial Navigation Systems (INS) due to the degraded GNSS services indoors. INS-based MLBS using smartphones is hindered by the quality of the MEMS sensors provided in smartphones which suffer from high noise and errors resulting in high drift in the navigation solution rapidly. Pedestrian dead reckoning (PDR) is an INS-based navigation technique that exploits human motion to reduce navigation solution errors, but the errors cannot be eliminated without aid from other techniques. The purpose of this study is to enhance and extend the short-term reliability of PDR systems for smartphones as a standalone system through an enhanced step detection algorithm, a periodic attitude correction technique, and a novel PCA-based motion direction estimation technique. Testing shows that the developed system (S-PDR) provides a reliable short-term navigation solution with a final positioning error that is up to 6 m after 3 min runtime. These results were compared to a PDR solution using an Xsens IMU which is known to be a high grade MEMS IMU and was found to be worse than S-PDR. The findings show that S-PDR can be used to aid GNSS in challenging environments and can be a viable option for short-term indoor navigation until aiding is provided by alternative means. Furthermore, the extended reliable solution of S-PDR can help reduce the operational complexity of aiding navigation systems such as RF-based indoor navigation and magnetic map matching as it reduces the frequency by which these aiding techniques are required and applied.

Constructing Floor Plan through Smoke Using Ultra Wideband Radar

2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (4) ◽  
pp. 1-29
Author(s):  
Weiyan Chen ◽  
Fusang Zhang ◽  
Tao Gu ◽  
Kexing Zhou ◽  
Zixuan Huo ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Spatial Information ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Indoor Navigation ◽  
Location Based Services ◽  
Ultra Wideband ◽  
Indoor Environments ◽  
Floor Plan ◽  
Construction Methods ◽  
Median Error ◽  
Indoor Scenarios

Floor plan construction has been one of the key techniques in many important applications such as indoor navigation, location-based services, and emergency rescue. Existing floor plan construction methods require expensive dedicated hardware (e.g., Lidar or depth camera), and may not work in low-visibility environments (e.g., smoke, fog or dust). In this paper, we develop a low-cost Ultra Wideband (UWB)-based system (named UWBMap) that is mounted on a mobile robot platform to construct floor plan through smoke. UWBMap leverages on low-cost and off-the-shelf UWB radar, and it is able to construct an indoor map with an accuracy comparable to Lidar (i.e., the state-of-the-art). The underpinning technique is to take advantage of the mobility of radar to form virtual antennas and gather spatial information of a target. UWBMap also eliminates both robot motion noise and environmental noise to enhance weak reflection from small objects for the robust construction process. In addition, we overcome the limited view of single radar by combining multi-view from multiple radars. Extensive experiments in different indoor environments show that UWBMap achieves a map construction with a median error of 11 cm and a 90-percentile error of 26 cm, and it operates effectively in indoor scenarios with glass wall and dense smoke.

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