Device-free Passive Localization for Wireless Environments

Google Tech Talks September 17, 2008 ABSTRACT Typical location determination systems, for example Global Positioning System (GPS), require the presence of a physical device that is attached to the object that is being tracked. In addition, they usually require the tracked device to participate actively in the localization process by running part of the localization algorithm or by extracting the physical signals used in communication, such as signal strength or time. In this talk, we introduce the concept of Device-free Passive (DfP) localization for outdoor wireless networks. A DfP system is envisioned to be able to detect, track, and identify entities that do not carry any device, nor participate actively in the localization process. The system works by monitoring and processing changes in the received physical signals at one or more monitoring points to detect changes in the environment. Applications for DfP systems include intrusion detection and tracking, protecting outdoor assets, such as pipelines, railroad tracks, and perimeters, and enhancing the security of other detection systems. In this talk, we will describe the DfP system's architecture and the challenges that need to be addressed to materialize a DfP system. We show the feasibility of the system by describing algorithms for implementing different functionalities of a DfP system that works with nominal WiFi equipment. We present two techniques for intrusion detection and a technique for tracking a single intruder. Our results show that the system can achieve very high probability of detection and tracking with very few false positives. We also identify different research directions for addressing the challenges of realizing a DfP system. Speaker: Dr. Moustafa Youssef Moustafa Youssef is an Assistant Professor at Nile University, Egypt. He received his Ph.D. degree in omputer science from University of Maryland, USA in 2004 and a B.Sc. and M.Sc. in computer science from Alexandria University, Egypt in 1997 and 1999 respectively. His research interests include location determination technologies, pervasive computing, sensor networks, and protocol modeling and analysis. Dr. Youssef is the recipient of the 2003 University of Maryland Invention of the Year award for his Horus location determination technology.