Optimisation of Mobile Communication Networks - OMCO NET

The mini conference “Optimisation of Mobile Communication Networks” focuses on advanced methods for search and optimisation applied to wireless communication networks. It is sponsored by Research & Enterprise Fund Southampton Solent University. The conference strives to widen knowledge on advanced search methods capable of optimisation of wireless communications networks. The aim is to provide a forum for exchange of recent knowledge, new ideas and trends in this progressive and challenging area. The conference will popularise new successful approaches on resolving hard tasks such as minimisation of transmit power, cooperative and optimal routing

Investigation of Shadow Matching for GNSS Positioning in Urban Canyons

All travel behavior of people in urban areas relies on knowing their position. Obtaining position has become increasingly easier thanks to the vast popularity of ‘smart’ mobile devices. The main and most accurate positioning technique used in these devices is global navigation satellite systems (GNSS). However, the poor performance of GNSS user equipment in urban canyons is a well-known problem and it is particularly inaccurate in the cross-street direction. The accuracy in this direction greatly affects many applications, including vehicle lane identification and high-accuracy pedestrian navigation. Shadow matching is a new technique that helps solve this problem by integrating GNSS constellation geometries and information derived from 3D models of buildings. This study brings the shadow matching principle from a simple mathematical model, through experimental proof of concept, system design and demonstration, algorithm redesign, comprehensive experimental tests, real-time demonstration and feasibility assessment, to a workable positioning solution. In this thesis, GNSS performance in urban canyons is numerically evaluated using 3D models. Then, a generic two-phase 6-step shadow matching system is proposed, implemented and tested against both geodetic and smartphone-grade GNSS receivers. A Bayesian technique-based shadow matching is proposed to account for NLOS and diffracted signal reception. A particle filter is designed to enable multi-epoch kinematic positioning. Finally, shadow matching is adapted and implemented as a mobile application (app), with feasibility assessment conducted. Results from the investigation confirm that conventional ranging-based GNSS is not adequate for reliable urban positioning. The designed shadow matching positioning system is demonstrated complementary to conventional GNSS in improving urban positioning accuracy. Each of the three generations of shadow matching algorithm is demonstrated to provide better positioning performance, supported by comprehensive experiments. In summary, shadow matching has been demonstrated to significantly improve urban positioning accuracy; it shows great potential to revolutionize urban positioning from street level to lane level, and possibly meter level

Mobiiliverkkodatan käytön validointi lähtö-määränpää -matriisien luomisessa

The rapid development in telecommunication networks during last years has made it possible to study human travel behaviour effectively from mobile network data. The combination of passive and active signalling events gathered by mobile network operators allow analysing movements of people with full longitudinal and spatial coverage. Therefore, recent years have seen an increasing interest in utilizing mobile network data in transportation studies, as an alternative or a complementary data source for conventional transport data. This study validates the capability of mobile network data to produce long-distance origin-destination matrices in Finland. Features that are being validated include trip counts, seasonal trip count changes and modal split. As reference data sources of the study, the National Travel Survey 2016, HELMET-transport demand model (Transport model by HSL) and LAM-data (automated traffic census) are used. Validation is done by analysing correlations between mobile network data and the reference data sources. By being able to demonstrate the validity and reliability of mobile network data usage in producing origin-destination matrices, cost-effectiveness and more accurate methods to gather information from long-distance transportation can be provided for the field in general. The overall results of the study are in line with the few similar related studies that have been conducted. The thesis work suggests that mobile network data is capable of producing more reliable trip counts from sparsely populated areas than the National Travel Survey. In addition, it seems to be more capable of capturing the high summer peak in longdistance travelling in Finland. The results regarding modal split are promising, but more studies regarding the modal detection will be needed.Matkapuhelinverkkojen viime vuosien nopea kehitys on mahdollistanut yhä tarkemman matkapuhelinten solupaikannuksen. Teleoperaattoreiden keräämä passiivisten ja aktiivisten matkapuhelinverkon signaalihavaintojen yhdistelmä mahdollistaa ihmisten liikkumiskäyttäytymisen tutkimisen kattavasti sekä ajallisesti että alueellisesti. Viime aikoina matkapuhelinverkkodatan hyödyntäminen liikennetutkimuksissa on tästä syystä herättänyt kasvavaa kiinnostusta perinteisten tiedonkeruumenetelmien korvaajana ja täydentäjänä. Tämä tutkimus validoi mobiiliverkkodatan käyttöä lähtö-määränpää -matriisien luomisessa Suomen pitkän matkan liikenteessä. Validoitavia ominaisuuksia ovat matkamäärät, matkamäärien vuodenajoittainen vaihtelu ja matkojen kulkumuotojakauma. Referenssiaineistona työssä käytetään Suomen Henkilöliikennetutkimusta, HELMET-liikennemallia ja LAM-dataa. Validointi suoritetaan analysoimalla mobiiliverkkodatan ja referenssiaineistojen välisiä korrelaatioita. Osoittamalla mobiiliverkkodatan käytettävyys lähtö-määränpää matriisien luomisessa, liikennesuunnittelun kustannustehokkuutta ja keinoja tarkemman tiedon keräämiseen pitkämatkaisesta liikkumisesta voidaan edistää. Työn tulokset ovat linjassa aiemman tutkimuksen kanssa. Tulokset näyttävät mobiiliverkkodatan olevan kykenevä tuottamaan lähtö-määränpää -tietoa hajaasutusalueilta luotettavammin kuin Henkilöliikennetutkimus. Lisäksi, mobiiliverkkodata näyttää pystyvän observoimaan kesän lomakauden matkapiikin tarkemmin kuin Henkilöliikennetutkimus. Tulokset mobiiliverkkodatan kulkumuototunnistukseen ovat lupaavia, mutta lisää tutkimusta tarvitaan näiden havaintojen vahvistamiseen

Real-time Localisation and Tracking System for Navigation Based on Mobile Multi-sensor Fusion

Nutitelefoni tõusuga ja nendesse paigaldatud anduritega on tekkinud lõputult teaduslikke uurimisvõimalusi, ilma kallist riistvara omamata. Selles töös tutvustatakse uut algoritmi, mis võimaldab jälgida ja lokaliseerida sõidukit reaalajas, kasutades Android OS nutitelefoni GPS-i, kiirendusmõõturi ja güroskoobi andmevoogusid. Loodud algoritm võib reageerida kiiruse muutustele ja auto pööretele reaalajas ilma GPS-i sisendita. See tähendab, et algoritm saab hinnata sõiduki positsiooni, kui GPS andmevoog ei ole teadmata ajahulgal saadaval. Tulemused on paljutõotavad ja näitavad, et algoritm toimib hästi nii täpsuse kui ka reaalajas reageerimisega. Isegi ilma GPS infota 30 sekundit jooksul suudab algoritm hinnata sõiduki asukohta 25 meetrilise keskmise täpsusega.With the rise of the smartphone, new research opportunities have emerged. With a wide array of sensors that are available in today’s smartphones, the research possibilities are endless. In this work, we present a new algorithm that can track and localise a vehicle in real-time using the GPS, accelerometer and gyroscope data streams from an Android OS smartphone. The resulting algorithm can respond to speed changes, and the car turns in real-time without any info from the GPS. This means that the algorithm can estimate the vehicle position if the GPS data stream is unavailable for unknown amounts of time. Results are promising and show that the algorithm performs well both in accuracy andreal-time responsiveness. Even without 30 seconds of GPS info, the algorithm is able to estimate the vehicle location with an average accuracy of 25 meters

Automotive applications of high precision GNSS

This thesis aims to show that Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS) positioning can play a significant role in the positioning systems of future automotive applications. This is through the adoption of state-of-the-art GNSS positioning technology and techniques, and the exploitation of the rapidly developing vehicle-to-vehicle concept. The merging together of these two developments creates greater performance than can be achieved separately. The original contribution of this thesis comes from this combination: Through the introduction of the Pseudo-VRS concept. Pseudo-VRS uses the princples of Network Real Time Kinematic (N-RTK) positioning to share GNSS information between vehicles, which enables absolute vehicle positioning. Pseudo-VRS is shown to improve the performance of high precision GNSS positioning for road vehicles, through the increased availability of GNSS correction messages and the rapid resolution of the N-RTK fixed solution. Positioning systems in the automotive sector are dominated by satellite-based solutions provided by GNSS. This has been the case since May 2001, when the United States Department of Defense switched off Selective Availability, enabling significantly improved positioning performance for civilian users. The average person most frequently encounters GNSS when using electronic personal navigation devices. The Sat Nav or GPS Navigator is ubiquitous in modern societies, where versions can be found on nomadic devices such as smartphones and dedicated personal navigation devices, or built in to the dashboards of vehicles. Such devices have been hugely successful due to their intrinsic ability to provide position information anywhere in the world with an accuracy of approximately 10 metres, which has proved ideal for general navigation applications. There are a few well known limitations of GNSS positioning, including anecdotal evidence of incorrect navigation advice for personal navigation devices, but these are minor compared to the overall positioning performance. Through steady development of GNSS positioning devices, including the integration of other low cost sensors (for instance, wheel speed or odometer sensors in vehicles), and the development of robust map matching algorithms, the performance of these devices for navigation applications is truly incredible. However, when tested for advanced automotive applications, the performance of GNSS positioning devices is found to be inadequate. In particular, in the most advanced fields of research such as autonomous vehicle technology, GNSS positioning devices are relegated to a secondary role, or often not used at all. They are replaced by terrestrial sensors that provide greater situational awareness, such as radar and lidar. This is due to the high performance demand of such applications, including high positioning accuracy (sub-decimetre), high availability and continuity of solutions (100%), and high integrity of the position information. Low-cost GNSS receivers generally do not meet such requirements. This could be considered an enormous oversight, as modern GNSS positioning technology and techniques have significantly improved satellite-based positioning performance. Other non-GNSS techniques also have their limitations that GNSS devices can minimise or eliminate. For instance, systems that rely on situational awareness require accurate digital maps of their surroundings as a reference. GNSS positioning can help to gather this data, provide an input, and act as a fail-safe in the event of digital map errors. It is apparent that in order to deliver advanced automotive applications - such as semi- or fully-autonomous vehicles - there must be an element of absolute positioning capability. Positioning systems will work alongside situational awareness systems to enable the autonomous vehicles to navigate through the real world. A strong candidate for the positioning system is GNSS positioning. This thesis builds on work already started by researchers at the University of Nottingham, to show that N-RTK positioning is one such technique. N-RTK can provide sub-decimetre accuracy absolute positioning solutions, with high availability, continuity, and integrity. A key component of N-RTK is the availability of real-time GNSS correction data. This is typically delivered to the GNSS receiver via mobile internet (for a roving receiver). This can be a significant limitation, as it relies on the performance of the mobile communications network, which can suffer from performance degradation during dynamic operation. Mobile communications systems are expected to improve significantly over the next few years, as consumers demand faster download speeds and wider availability. Mobile communications coverage already covers a high percentage of the population, but this does not translate into a high percentage of a country's geography. Pockets of poor coverage, often referred to as notspots, are widespread. Many of these notspots include the transportation infrastructure. The vehicle-to-vehicle concept has made significant forward steps in the last few years. Traditionally promoted as a key component of future automotive safety applications, it is now driven primarily by increased demand for in-vehicle infotainment. The concept, which shares similarities with the Internet of Things and Mobile Ad-hoc Networks, relies on communication between road vehicles and other road agents (such as pedestrians and road infrastructure). N-RTK positioning can take advantage of this communication link to minimise its own communications-related limitations. Sharing GNSS information between local GNSS receivers enables better performance of GNSS positioning, based on the principles of differential GNSS and N-RTK positioning techniques. This advanced concept is introduced and tested in this thesis. The Pseudo VRS concept follows the protocols and format of sharing GNSS data used in N-RTK positioning. The technique utilises the latest GNSS receiver design, including multiple frequency measurements and high quality antennas

Observing travel behaviour from GPS data - A tool comparison survey in the Torino metropolitan area

Travel surveys help researchers to paint a clear picture of specific aspects of travel behaviour. In the transport field, data quality is largely dictated by the data requirements of mathematical models, and by the rising complexity of individuals' travel behaviour. Beginning with an illustration of the most common transport models, this thesis will first present an overview of traditional survey tools, in order to understand their structural biases and current developments in the transport survey field. One of the recent solutions to common data collection problems has been the implementation of passive data collection tools in household and personal travel surveys. Passive data collection tools allow researchers to derive travel behaviour information from positional and navigational data, collected with devices that use location-aware technologies, such as GPS, GSM, and RFid. Passive data collection tools - in particular, GPS devices - have proven useful in household and personal travel surveys, and have shown themselves capable of providing researchers with high-quality travel data. The objective of this research is to evaluate the use of GPS as a survey tool in household and personal travel surveys. Technological advances and decreasing costs have helped GPS to achieve wide use in the survey field. Furthermore, GPS-equipped devices allow surveyors to collect high-quality data on the time and position of individuals and vehicles - data that are more difficult to ascertain using traditional survey tools, such as self-administered questionnaires and telephonic interviews. A research team at the Politecnico di Torino designed and carried out a multi-instrumental personal travel survey, in order to assess the context-specific problems of a GPS-based survey in the metropolitan area of Torino. Survey methods included both a paper-and-pencil travel diary, and locational data collected using GPS devices. The survey effort consisted of a 4-day pilot survey with a sample of 4 individuals, and a successive 14-day GPS survey with a sample of 8 individuals. Results from self-administered travel diaries and GPS-derived data provided surveyors with valuable data for assessing the quality and completeness of travel information, and for determining the data's ability to accurately describe respondents' travel behaviour. The final outcomes of the GPS survey effort and of supplementary passive data collection tests allowed researchers to identify strengths and weaknesses of the implementation of passive data collection tools. Actual trends and future developments in the field will supplement the overvie

Wi-Fi Finger-Printing Based Indoor Localization Using Nano-Scale Unmanned Aerial Vehicles

Explosive growth in the number of mobile devices like smartphones, tablets, and smartwatches has escalated the demand for localization-based services, spurring development of numerous indoor localization techniques. Especially, widespread deployment of wireless LANs prompted ever increasing interests in WiFi-based indoor localization mechanisms. However, a critical shortcoming of such localization schemes is the intensive time and labor requirements for collecting and building the WiFi fingerprinting database, especially when the system needs to cover a large space. In this thesis, we propose to automate the WiFi fingerprint survey process using a group of nano-scale unmanned aerial vehicles (NAVs). The proposed system significantly reduces the efforts for collecting WiFi fingerprints. Furthermore, since these NAVs explore a 3D space, the WiFi fingerprints of a 3D space can be obtained increasing the localization accuracy. The proposed system is implemented on a commercially available miniature open-source quadcopter platform by integrating a contemporary WiFi - fingerprint - based localization system. Experimental results demonstrate that the localization error is about 2m, which exhibits only about 20cm of accuracy degradation compared with the manual WiFi fingerprint survey methods