Radio map generation approaches for an RSSI-based indoor positioning system

Abstract

The use of Radio map fingerprinting, which relies on a received signal strength indicator (RSSI), is a popular indoor positioning method that offers high accuracy and cost-effective deployment. However, the generation of an RSSI radio map requires significant time and effort. This paper presents three methods for generating radio maps, with the aim of reducing the time required. The first method involves a dedicated mobile application that collects experimental RSSI data, while the second method uses biharmonic spline interpolation (BSI) to expand a prerecorded experimental radio map. The third method, the Wireless InSite simulator-based method, generates a fully simulated radio map. All three methods are studied in detail to evaluate their effectiveness in reducing the time required for radio map generation. Location estimation is then carried out based on the prerecorded radio maps. The combined method presented in this study increases the efficiency of building indoor positioning mobile applications. Experiments using combined real and simulated datasets collected at An Najah National University and University of Dubai campuses demonstrate that the model outperforms similar methods, improving the localization accuracy to approximately 0.45 meters. This level of accuracy is suitable for a variety of location-based applications, including critical ones such as evacuating people from buildings during emergencies.