Global Positioning in Harsh Environments

Abstract: As global location systems offer only restricted availability, they are not suitable for a world- wide tracking application without extensions. This thesis contains a goods-tracking solution, which can be considered globally working in contrast to formerly developed technologies. For the creation of an innovative approach, an evaluation of the previous efforts has to be made. As a result of this assessment, a newly developed solution is presented in this thesis that uses the Global Positioning System (GPS) in connection with the database correlation method involving Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM) fingerprints. The database entries are generated automatically by measuring numerous GSM parameters such as Cell Identity and signal strength involving handsets of several different providers and the real reference position obtained via a high sensitivity GPS receiver.