awiloc®
Fraunhofer Institute for Integrated Circuits
Projects
For many business sectors real-time indoor and outdoor positioning information optimizes their existing processes and paves the way for new applications and a competitive edge. The awiloc® wireless LAN positioning technology by Fraunhofer IIS has already been adapted to various settings such as entire city areas, exhibition centers, airports, museums, train stations, industrial buildings, and shopping malls.
Enhanced Positioning for Emergency and Care Systems
TeleConsult Austria combines positioning systems with information and communication services. One of their projects is the emergency and care system MODIS®. In case of an accident or emergency the carrier can send a help-signal to his relatives or the rescue service by only pushing a button. Wireless LAN localisation complements the existing GPS-based positioning system which is only working properly in open spaces, not in the narrow streets of city centers of indoors like in the subway.
Multimedia museum guide
Since 2010 visitors to the Museum of Industrial Culture in Nuremberg have been able to experience a one-of-a-kind tour of the museum. A mobile multimedia guide system offers in-detail context and background information matching the exhibition pieces nearby the user. Thanks to awiloc®, the mobile guide calculates the visitor’s precise position and visually indicates his current location as well as the information on surrounding exhibits.
Trade Show Guide
Since 2004 various electronic trade show guides with continuous wireless LAN positioning have been realized (e. g.Frankfurt Fair, Nuremberg Fair). Visitors are able to create their own personalized exhibitor list and are guided directly to the booths of their choice. The awiloc® technology for wireless LAN positioning from Fraunhofer IIS allows localisation both indoors and outdoors on the exhibition site providing an accuracy of a few meters.
City guide
In 2009, IT2media launched MobileWALK, a GPS-independent positioning application for the cities Nuremberg, Fürth and Erlangen. It shows the closest shops, restaurants, banks or hospitals with all available supplementary information to the user and displays a city map on his mobile device. The localisation is facilitated by the awiloc® technology for self-contained wireless LAN positioning from Fraunhofer IIS.
Optimization of mass evacuations
2009 saw the launch of the REPKA research project, which is funded by the German Ministry of Education and Research and aimed at simulating mass evacuation scenarios. Providing real-time information on the whereabouts of people, a prerequisite for realistic simulation and optimization models, the WLAN positioning technology developed by Fraunhofer IIS is a key component of this project. To achieve a particularly high degree of robustness, WLAN positioning is combined with satellite-based (GPS) and cellular network positioning (GSM fingerprinting).
Navigation aid for the users of public transportation
The mobile navigation aid »ROSE« offered by the Friedrich -Alexander University, Erlangen-Nuremberg, combines pedestrian navigation with a location- and time-aware guide to transportation options. It shows the way to the nearest stop or station and provides information about available means of transportation and possible connections. The Fraunhofer IIS technology facilitates the positioning and complements GPS in urban areas and inside buildings. Hence it is possible to localize not only in narrow streets but also in railroad and subway stations.
Local Webservers
INDIWAN from Munich sells cheap web servers which provide local services and applications for mobile devices like smartphones. They are open wireless LAN access-points from which users nearby can use the stored information and programmes. In combination with the awiloc® positioning technologiy location-dependent offers can be provided more effectively.
Positioning in ad-hoc networks
The objective of the EU-sponsored IMSK research project is to improve safety at public events. To help accomplish this purpose, Fraunhofer IIS is implementing a mobile ad-hoc network, including the network structure and positioning functionality. To provide security and rescue forces with positioning capability and the use of ad-hoc communication networks, algorithms are being worked on that can determine the user‘s position in relation either to other personnel or to defined points such as infrastructure nodes whose locations are known. This may be complemented by wireless LAN based motion detection.
Positioning in industrial environments
Industrial applications range from tracking of portable control panels used in production to forklift tracking which faciliates precise, fully automatic tracking of pallets and goods . One example is a WLAN-based forklift tracking application that was implemented in collaboration with SEP LOGISTIK and enables improved goods tracking. The positioning algorithm was specially adapted for this application in order to meet challenges such as highly variable ambient condition
Positioning in the digital home
The wireless LAN positioning technology has also been adapted for wireless home networks, allowing users of multi-media systems to automatically use the nearest suitable device (e.g. a television set) to play media content.
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