GPS and Electronic Fence Data Fusion for Positioning within Railway Worksite Scenarios

Abstract

Context-dependent decisions in safety-critical applications require careful consideration of accuracy and timeliness of the underlying context information. Relevant examples include location-dependent actions in mobile distributed systems. This paper considers localization functions for personalized warning systems for railway workers, where the safety aspects require timely and precise identification whether a worker is located in a dangerous (red) or safe (green) zone within the worksite. The paper proposes and analyzes a data fusion approach based on low-cost GPS receivers integrated on mobile devices, combined with electronic fences strategically placed in the adjacent boundaries between safe and unsafe geographic zones. An approach based on the combination of a Kalman Filter for GPS-based trajectory estimation and a Hidden Markov Model for inclusion of mobility constraints and fusion with information from the electronic fences is developedand analyzed. Different accuracy metrics are proposed and the benefit obtained from the fusion with electronic fences is quantitatively analyzed in the scenarios of a single mobile entity: By having fence information, the correct zone estimation can increase by 30%, while false alarms can be reduced one order of magnitude in the tested scenario.

On trustworthy measurements when testing dependable systems: a discussion and experiences

“…Thus GPS augmentation approaches were deemed necessary and developed in the context of the ALARP project, to complement GPS data. In particular, the selected approach combines the outputs of GPS with the outputs of electronic fences placed in proximity of the tracks [22].…”

Modeling and Analysis of an Agricultural Vehicle Cross-Boundary Warning System

“…The development of Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS) has increased the applications of electronic fence technology in security, railway, aviation, etc. (Figueiras J, et al, 2012;Cheng H, et al, 2017;Hsu C, et al, 2019;Hu J, et al, 2018;Monod M O, et al, 2008;Yuan Z, et al, 2017). In particular, electronic fence technology is able to employ satellite positioning coordinates to set the working area, install GNSS signal receiving equipment on the working device to locate position, and determine whether the working device is in the working area via its coordinates.…”

Enhancing workers safety in worksites through augmented GNSS sensors

“…As an example, in railway worksites effective tracking has been managed through a GPS system that combines GPS data with information from electronic fences placed within the worksite area [6]. Specifically, the fences data are collected from the communication layer, and fused with the GPS data in the localization component [7]. This allows determining with high accuracy if the worker is in a safe (green) or unsafe (red) zone.…”