GARMIO

Motivation

The 4th Generation (4G) of mobile networks optimizing requires several data sources, namely configuration and performance data, drive-test information and network traces, of which only drive-tests comprise localization information, inherently limited to outdoor locations covered by test routes. However, the remaining data, and more particularly network traces, contain richer information but lack any kind of positioning information.

Mobile networks users show highly diversified usage profiles when it comes to utilized services, mobility patterns and propagation environment.

“Geolocalização não-Assistida por GPS para Redes Móveis em Ambiente Indoor e Outdoor” (GARMIO) is the name of a project that brings together Fraunhofer AICOS and industry partner CELFINET, with researchers working on creating a new web-based solution destined to locate and characterize mobile devices users with high accuracy, both indoors and outdoors, without requiring GPS data.

This solution will provide precise georeferentiation for cell signal data acquired from mobile device users in both indoor and outdoor settings, without requiring GPS data. This data will be further characterized by the mobility patterns of the users, as this can have a large impact on signal quality.

Modern smartphones have a multitude of sensors that can be used to estimate user’s location. By leveraging the potential of these sensors, the proposed solution will then be able to register mobile signals with much higher accuracy than current processes, linking coordinates and activities to signal strength indicators.

By crossing data obtained from smartphones sensors and equivalent network data during test procedures, the extrapolation of behavior classification for users in general will become possible. Simultaneously, geolocation approaches such as trilateration and fingerprinting will be employed based on network traces, leading to large-scale mapping of previously mentioned information.

GARMIO is coordinated by CELFINET, Consultoria em Telecomunicações, in cooperation with Fraunhofer AICOS.

Goals

The aim of this project is to research and develop a (web-based) software solution, for mobile operators. It should locate and characterize, with high precision, the mobile network users outside and inside the buildings, without GPS information.

1. Locate and track the users inside buildings, with high precision (less than 1 m) in real utilization scenarios (standing, sitting, walking, running), through a user smartphone application.

2. Locate and characterize the users inside buildings with metric precision (less than 10 m), only with the signaling between the users and the mobile network (traces). The user profiles to be identified will be: stationary, in movement, indoor/outdoor transitions.

3. Locate and characterize the users outside the buildings with decametric precision (less than 100 m), in order to identify the different mobility profiles (stationary, pedestrian, urban vehicular, highway).

4. Ensure outdoor/indoor positioning in latitude, longitude and altitude.

Outcomes

• Locate and track the users inside/outside buildings.

• Characterize the users inside/outside buildings.

• Indoor/Outdoor transitions detection.

• Outdoor Positioning with 150 to 200 m precision.

• Indoor Positioning with 1 m precision.

• QoS metrics and users tracking mapping.

• LTE Decoder for LTE Ericsson Raw Traces.