Fingerprinting methods for positioning: A study on the adaptive enhanced cell identity method

Abstract: Fingerprinting methods for positioning is an area of great interest, this thesis presents a study on the Adaptive Enhanced Cell Identity (AECID) fingerprinting method for positioning. By creating a map of the radio characteristics in a geographical region, the AECID method is able to locate a UE by gathering information of the radio conditions of its current location. By performing positioning in this manner, there is no need for additional signaling, which is a better usage of the radio resources. This thesis presents a new approach for the creation of fingerprints together with alternative methodology at each step proposed by the AECID method. These alternatives are implemented and evaluated for real and simulated scenarios. Accuracy performance metrics are discussed based on different formats supported for reporting position. The alternatives presented in this thesis will show not only an enhancement on the accuracy levels but most importantly, the impact of each step on the final performance of the method.