Indoor location determination using a topological model

Abstract

Context-aware computing that recognizes the context in which a user performs a task is one of the most important techniques for supporting user activity in ubiquitous computing. To realize context-aware computing, a computer needs to recognize the user's location. This paper describes a technique for location detection inside a room using radio waves from a user's computer. The proposed technique has to be sufficiently robust to cater for dynamic environments and should require only ordinary network devices, such as radio signal emitters, without the need for special equipment. We propose a topological model representing the structure of rooms in a building, and describe a room-detection method using this model. © Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2005.