Virtual testbed for indoor localization

We present a novel, easy to use virtual testbed for the evaluation of localization algorithms. Our testbed enables researchers to easily run tests on a huge body of real world range-based indoor localization data. The data consists of a dense grid of reference points belonging to one or multiple maps. Each point consists of a ground truth value and an arbitrary number of ranging values. Each ranging value belongs to a certain anchor node on a fixed position. The reference data is gathered by a robot which carries (arbitrary) localization devices. The robot stores its location as a ground truth value and simultaneously uses the localization device to measure the distance to a set of anchors in range. The ground truth value is gathered by an optical reference system which is applied to the robot. It is possible to define paths through a map using a web interface. Our system uses our experimental gathered reference points to deliver a dataset of ranging values for the current path. Therefore the researcher can run a virtual experiment by himself and can adjust several parameters. Our system enables other researchers to run reproducible experiments on real word data. The expensive and complex deployment of a dedicated infrastructure and experimental setup can be avoided as well as the error-prone task of modelling a localization system and running a simulation. Our system will be open to the research community and will help to develop a better understanding of the field of range based indoor localization.