title: Towards a Decentralized Magnetic Indoor Positioning System.
abstract: Decentralized magnetic indoor localization is a sophisticated method for processing sampled magnetic data directly on a mobile station (MS), thereby decreasing or even avoiding the need for communication with the base station. In contrast to central-oriented positioning systems, which transmit raw data to a base station, decentralized indoor localization pushes application-level knowledge into the MS. A decentralized position solution has thus a strong feasibility to increase energy efficiency and to prolong the lifetime of the MS. In this article, we present a complete architecture and an implementation for a decentralized positioning system. Furthermore, we introduce a technique for the synchronization of the observed magnetic field on the MS with the artificially-generated magnetic field from the coils. Based on real-time clocks (RTCs) and a preemptive operating system, this method allows a stand-alone control of the coils and a proper assignment of the measured magnetic fields on the MS. A stand-alone control and synchronization of the coils and the MS have an exceptional potential to implement a positioning system without the need for wired or wireless communication and enable a deployment of applications for rescue scenarios, like localization of miners or firefighters.
authors.affiliation: Institute for Computing in Civil Engineering &amp; Geo Information Systems, Rheinisch-Westfälische Technische Hochschule Aachen University, Mies-van-der-Rohe-Str. 1, Aachen 52074, Germany. zkasmi@gia.rwth-aachen.de.
authors.forename: Zakaria
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Kasmi
authors.affiliation: Institute for Computing in Civil Engineering &amp; Geo Information Systems, Rheinisch-Westfälische Technische Hochschule Aachen University, Mies-van-der-Rohe-Str. 1, Aachen 52074, Germany. norrdine@gia.rwth-aachen.de.
authors.forename: Abdelmoumen
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Norrdine
authors.affiliation: Institute for Computing in Civil Engineering &amp; Geo Information Systems, Rheinisch-Westfälische Technische Hochschule Aachen University, Mies-van-der-Rohe-Str. 1, Aachen 52074, Germany. blankenbach@gia.rwth-aachen.de.
authors.forename: Jörg
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Blankenbach
keywords: DS3234; RIOT-OS; RTC; TDMA; architecture; embedded system; periodic tasks; real time; real-time clock; synchronization