SmartITS: Smartphone-based identification and tracking using seamless indoor-outdoor localization

Abstract Localization in both indoor and outdoor environments is a long-studied problem. Using Smartphone for localization has also gained popularity recently. However, none of the existing solutions consider seamless localization and tracking of individuals in both indoor and outdoor stretches with significant accuracy. In this paper, we propose a human identification, monitoring, and location tracking system, called SmartITS , which continuously tracks MAC ids of user equipment (Smartphones, BLE tags, and Bluetooth devices) and can provide a Google map-based visualization of their trajectories. Our tracker is a portable mobile entity comprising of a Smartphone and an external Wi-Fi adapter which does not require any extra hardware infrastructure to deploy as well as does not need any modification in hardware design at all. Extensive testing with a prototype testbed system in densely populated areas shows that the SmartITS system can seamlessly track user trajectories in indoor and outdoor stretches with a high aggregate location accuracy which is up to 44.49% more accurate than the simple GPS based location tracking system. Our proof-of-concept prototype shows the usability of SmartITS architecture. We also perform several experiments for evaluating the Smartphone’s performance as a scanner and as a sensor tag.