Experimental assessment of low-cost GPS-based localization in railway worksite-like scenarios

Abstract Since GPS has been made available for civil usage, satellite-based localization in open space has become a more and more common option for vehicular tracking and for a number of commercial applications. The accuracy of the localization results and the availability of the localization system are influenced by several factors, such as the characteristics of the devices used, the surrounding environment, and the distance from reference stations. The possibility of exploiting off-the-shelf GPS devices, in the contest of a composite multi-sensor localization, is currently being investigated within the framework of the ALARP project [9] , where it is required to accurately localize workers in railway worksites. This paper presents the results of an experimental campaign aimed at determining if, and under which conditions, low-cost GPS devices can be used in such a scenario. The evaluation is performed comparing data from low-cost GPS devices to data collected using a highly accurate reference system. The analysis permits to assess the feasibility of two different, very popular, commercial GPS devices for the ALARP requirements on localization.

[1]  Ulrich Vollath,et al.  Trimble’s Rtk And Dgps Solutions In Comparison With Precise Point Positioning , 2009 .

[2]  Andrea Ceccarelli,et al.  ALARP (a railway automatic track warning system based on distributed personal mobile terminals) , 2012 .

[3]  Y. Morales,et al.  DGPS, RTK-GPS and StarFire DGPS Performance Under Tree Shading Environments , 2007, 2007 IEEE International Conference on Integration Technology.

[4]  Malgorzata Poniatowska,et al.  Deviation model based method of planning accuracy inspection of free-form surfaces using CMMs , 2012 .

[5]  Andrea Bondavalli,et al.  Localization errors of low-cost GPS devices in railway worksite-like scenarios , 2011, 2011 IEEE International Workshop on Measurements and Networking Proceedings (M&N).

[6]  Ting-Hua Yi,et al.  Effect of different construction materials on propagation of GPS monitoring signals , 2012 .

[7]  Soledad Torres-Guijarro,et al.  A traffic radar verification system based on GPS–Doppler technology , 2010 .

[8]  Mosbeh R. Kaloop,et al.  Sensitivity and analysis GPS signals based bridge damage using GPS observations and wavelet transform , 2011 .

[9]  Wei-Wen Kao,et al.  Integration of GPS and dead-reckoning navigation systems , 1991, Vehicle Navigation and Information Systems Conference, 1991.

[10]  W. Ochieng,et al.  An Extended Kalman Filter Algorithm for Integrating GPS and Low Cost Dead Reckoning System Data for Vehicle Performance and Emissions Monitoring , 2003 .

[11]  Zoran A. Salcic,et al.  A Comparison of Accuracy Using a GPS and a Low-Cost DGPS , 2006, IEEE Transactions on Instrumentation and Measurement.

[12]  Michele Grassi,et al.  GPS-Based Relative Navigation in Earth Observation Missions Relying on Cooperative Satellites , 2010 .

[13]  Lie-Chung Shen,et al.  Monitoring Water Levels and Currents Using Reflected GPS Carrier Doppler Measurements and Coordinate Rotation Model , 2010, IEEE Transactions on Instrumentation and Measurement.