Node Location Optimization for Localizing UAVs in Urban Scenarios

Abstract

Unmanned-Aerial-Vehicles (UAV) widespread use has grown significantly in recent years. Their insertion in the civil sector allows their implementation in the agricultural and industrial sectors, as well as their use for surveillance or delivery applications. However, the efficient development of these applications depends on the drone’s ability to position itself autonomously. Although it is common to find drones with satellite positioning systems (GNSS), these systems are insufficient for autonomous navigation in urban or indoor environments. In these scenarios, the implementation of local positioning systems (LPS) is widely extended due to their adaptability capabilities. Through the optimal distribution of the sensors that constitute this system, they can adapt to almost any environment while also improving its performance. However, the complexity of this problem has been characterized as NP-Hard, which complicates its resolution. In this paper, a genetic algorithm is developed to optimize LPS in different environments. This algorithm, pioneer in the design of LPS for UAV localization, is tested on a generated urban environment. The results obtained denote the effectiveness of the methodology by obtaining location uncertainties significantly lower than GNSS.