Grant: CCI Applied Research and Development Grants

Indoor Location System (ILS) enables locating the position of objects or people within buildings. Since Global Positioning System (GPS) is unreliable in interior spaces due to attenuations and scattering of the signals (e.g., multi-level buildings), the ILS uses other positioning methods such as algorithms, techniques, frequencies and architectures to provide the location of a static or mobile asset or person. The ILS market is defined as “the hardware, software and service components that provide indoor location coordinates and services”. The application of ILS is known in different sectors including commerce, security, military, retail, and inventory tracking industries. The global ILS market is projected to grow from USD 7.0 billion in 2021 to USD 19.7 billion by 2026. TELUS is an industry leader in mobile services and telecommunications and has enormous experience and a strong interest in localization systems. Through this proposed research project, the Sheridan research team and TELUS aim to investigate localization techniques in three-Dimensional (3-D) wide indoor areas. We intend to achieve this goal by focusing on the development and investigation of a smart and scalable framework, through proof-of-concept prototypes. The framework consists of two components: 1) smart localization techniques, and 2) wireless technologies. The localization technique will be based on many machine learning models (e.g., Support Vector Machine (SVM)); whereas the wireless technologies will include Wi-Fi and possibly Bluetooth. The framework will enable more efficient localizations covering diverse use cases. This will enrich TELUS security service offerings in terms of better and enhanced monitoring tools and methodology; likewise, improving accuracy and reducing latency. Sheridan’s students will enhance their academic and work readiness skills through their involvement as Research Assistants and their direct interactions with TELUS team. Sheridan is a leader in delivering mobile technology curricula and offers different courses, as well as a bachelor’s degree, specializing in computer science, mobile computing, cloud computing, data analytics, network engineering, modelling, simulation, and visualization. The learning that will occur directly and indirectly as a result of this applied research will significantly enrich the learning experience for both students and faculty at Sheridan.