Abstract
M.Ing.
The research and development contained herein details a Proof of Concept to test the
commercial viability of a mobile cellular positioning technique for use in Location Based
Service applications. Research in this field is relatively new and although the theories of
location estimation have been considered at both an industry and academic level respectively,
they are still largely isolated. We propose to bridge the gap with a practical implementation
of a suitable location based service theory. This implemented theory is a trade-off between
cost, performance, accuracy and ease of implementation.
The research component of this dissertation constitutes a detailed background and technical
overview of second generation mobile cellular technology, investigation of various radio path
loss model theories, understanding of the various Location Positioning technologies and
exploration into optimised trilateration techniques.
The development is amalgamated in an algorithm incorporating radio signal strength analysis,
mobile network parameter and management reporting, empirical mobile radio path loss
prediction models and adaptive geometric, trigonometric and algebraic trilateration
techniques.
Furthermore, we conduct vigorous testing of the implemented algorithm with live mobile
network radio parameters recorded across various geographical locations which vary in
topography. The testing phases include performance gain comparisons between the
trilateration techniques.
Finally, we show that the selected location estimation theory can be enhanced to be an
attractive practical implementation which satisfies the trade-off variables, required for
commercial application. The selected theory produces improved location estimate accuracy
with cost efficient ease of implementation from among the other theories, when combined
with the applied trilateration techniques. The end result is an alternate way to successfully
emulate GPS positioning – which is considered to be the global benchmark