PyLayers: An open source dynamic simulator for indoor propagation and localization

PyLayers is a new open source radio simulator. It has been designed to evaluate localization algorithm performances through the realistic simulation of location-dependent parameters (LDPs) in heterogeneous mobile radio networks. The radio channel is synthesized by using a novel graph-based ray tracing method which has been introduced in order to improve performances in mobile ray-tracing scenarios where geometrical information reuse from one mechanical time-step to another is advantageous. PyLayers can synthesized the narrow band, wide band or ultra wide band (UWB) channel impulse response and thus allows to produced various kind of location dependent parameters as the widely used LDPs received power an time of arrival. Realistic movement of pedestrian agents into the building layout is modeled with a virtual forces approach. The simulated data can be directly exploited with one of the original built-in localization algorithms or be exported to various standards file extensions for external post-processing. Examples of typical PyLayers outputs are provided.