Seamless positioning and navigation in a confined urban environment

Abstract

Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) has revolutionised positioning technologies, and has become a fundamental Positioning, Navigation, and Timing (PNT) service to support global economic growth. However, GNSS does not work well in dense urban areas as satellite signals are easily blocked or reflected by buildings – or what is known as the multipath effects. LSGI has developed various technologies to improve positioning accuracy and availabilities suited for urban areas. Contributions of these technologies are both a thing for today and tomorrow: with a Differential-GNSS service in smartphones for meter level positioning developed, the multipath effects can be overcome; a new Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) based urban positioning infrastructure is also proposed to complement PNT service in narrow streets and integrate with multiple sensors to render seamless positioning and navigation with just one click on your smartphone.