Accurate outdoor positioning

The use of wireless technology has made significant contributions to modern life, in areas such as communications and localization. One such technology would be the Global Positioning System (GPS), which has made information about positioning readily available for anyone. However, the main drawback of GPS would be its inability to operate in areas with poor reception. This includes heavily built-up areas, or in tunnels. Such areas have poor line-of-sight to the GPS satellites in Space for accurate positioning, thereby limiting its effectiveness. This project aims to study the effectiveness and feasibility of using RSSI signals as an alternative method for outdoor positioning, to complement the use of GPS in areas of poor GPS connectivity. The RSSI and positioning data collected during the experimental stage would be used to develop a RSSI logarithmic-distance path-loss model for a better understanding of its relationship, using MATLAB. Further enhancements and improvements would also be made to the RSSI signal data and its corresponding coordinate data for more accurate positioning. The results have shown that outdoor positioning using RSSI generally yields good positioning estimates. The effects of signal noise and inaccurate location coordinates can be corrected through methods such as trilateration and physical coordinate measurements. However, effects such as multipath fading and interference due to blockage of the outdoor signal paths is still an issue which would affect the accuracy of positioning. In conclusion, the use of RSSI for outdoor positioning is still an area with much room for research and improvement.Bachelor of Engineering (Electrical and Electronic Engineering