System and method for indoor location mapping and tracking

Abstract

Implementations of the present disclosure involve a system and/or method for indoor mapping. The indoor mapping system may receive wireless signals from wireless devices located in an area and create a wireless signal fingerprint that identifies each signal and the strength of the signal. A user may identify the location that the wireless signal fingerprint was taken on a geo-referenced map. After the wireless signal fingerprints for an area have been mapped, a user may determine a location by taking a wireless signal fingerprint and comparing the wireless signal fingerprint to previously taken wireless signal fingerprints.

1 . A non-transitory computer-readable medium having program instructions thereon which, when executed by a microprocessor, perform the steps of:
 receiving a first wireless signal fingerprint identifying a first set of present wireless signals and corresponding signal strengths for each present wireless signal in said first set of present wireless signals;   receiving a first user input identifying a first location on a geo-referenced map, the first location corresponding to a position where the first wireless signal fingerprint was acquired;   receiving a second wireless signal fingerprint identifying a second set of present wireless signals and corresponding signal strengths for each present wireless signal in said second set of present wireless signals;   receiving a second user input identifying a second location on the geo-referenced map, the second location corresponding to a position where the second wireless signal fingerprint was taken; and   determining whether a root mean square of the first wireless signal fingerprint and the second wireless signal fingerprint is greater than a similarity threshold.   
     
     
         2 . The medium of  claim 1 , wherein the steps further comprise assigning a reliability rating to each wireless signal fingerprint, wherein the reliability rating is incremented when:
 the first location and the second location are within a threshold distance from each other; and   the determined root mean square is greater than the similarity threshold.   
     
     
         3 . The medium of  claim 1 , wherein the steps further comprise assigning a reliability rating to each wireless signal fingerprint, wherein the reliability rating is decremented when:
 the first location and the second location are within a threshold distance from each other; and   the determined root mean square is less than the similarity threshold.   
     
     
         4 . The medium of  claim 1 , where the steps further comprise:
 caching the first location and the first wireless signal fingerprint in a first mapping database;   caching the second location and the second wireless signal fingerprint in the first mapping database;   uploading the cached first location and the cached first wireless fingerprint to a second mapping database; and   uploading the cached second location and the cached second wireless fingerprint to the second mapping database.   
     
     
         5 . The medium of  claim 4 , wherein the first wireless signal fingerprint, the first location, the second wireless signal fingerprint, and the second location are uploaded when the reliability rating exceeds the reliability threshold. 
     
     
         6 . The medium of  claim 1 , wherein said medium is a computer-readable medium of a user device. 
     
     
         7 . The medium of  claim 6 , wherein said user device is selected from the group consisting of:
 a mobile phone; a smart phone; a table computer; and a laptop computer.   
     
     
         8 . The medium of  claim 1 , wherein said geo-referenced map is geo-referenced to an indoor location. 
     
     
         9 . The medium of  claim 1 , wherein said indoor location is a building. 
     
     
         10 . The medium of  claim 1 , wherein the first wireless signal fingerprint and the second wireless signal fingerprint each include a media access control address. 
     
     
         11 . A method for indoor location comprising:
 receiving a first wireless signal fingerprint identifying a first set of present wireless signals and corresponding signal strengths for each present wireless signal in said first set of present wireless signals;   receiving a first user input identifying a first location on a geo-referenced map, the first location corresponding to a position where the first wireless signal fingerprint was acquired;   receiving a second wireless signal fingerprint identifying a second set of present wireless signals and corresponding signal strengths for each present wireless signal in said second set of present wireless signals;   receiving a second user input identifying a second location on the geo-referenced map, the second location corresponding to a position where the second wireless signal fingerprint was taken; and   determining whether a root mean square of the first wireless signal fingerprint and the second wireless signal fingerprint is greater than a similarity threshold.   
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 11  further comprising:
 assigning a reliability rating to each wireless signal fingerprint, wherein the reliability rating is incremented when:
 the first location and the second location are within a threshold distance from each other; and 
 the determined root mean square is greater than the similarity threshold. 
 
 
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 11  further comprising:
 assigning a reliability rating to each wireless signal fingerprint, wherein the reliability rating is decremented when:
 the first location and the second location are within a threshold distance from each other; and 
 the determined root mean square is less than the similarity threshold. 
 
 
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 11 , further comprising:
 caching the first location and the first wireless signal fingerprint in a first mapping database;   caching the second location and the second wireless signal fingerprint in the first mapping database;   uploading the cached first location and the cached first wireless fingerprint to the second mapping database; and   uploading the cached second location and the cached second wireless fingerprint to a second mapping database.   
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 4 , wherein the first wireless signal fingerprint, the first location, the second wireless signal fingerprint, and the second location are uploaded when the reliability rating exceeds the reliability threshold. 
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 11 , wherein said method is performed by a microprocessor of a user device. 
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 16 , wherein said user device is selected from the group consisting of:
 a mobile phone; a smart phone; a table computer; and a laptop computer.   
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 11 , wherein said geo-referenced map is geo-referenced to an indoor location. 
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 11 , wherein said indoor location is a building. 
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 11 , wherein the first wireless signal fingerprint and the second wireless signal fingerprint each include a media access control address.