Experimental assessment of low-cost GPS-based localization in railway worksite-like scenarios

Since GPS has been made available for civil usage, satellite-based localization in open space has become a more and more common option for vehicular tracking and for a number of commercial applications. The accuracy of the localization results and the availability of the localization system are influenced by several factors, such as the characteristics of the devices used, the surrounding environment, and the distance from reference stations. The possibility of exploiting off-the-shelf GPS devices, in the contest of a composite multi-sensor localization, is currently being investigated within the framework of the ALARP project [9], where it is required to accurately localize workers in railway worksites. This paper presents the results of an experimental campaign aimed at determining if, and under which conditions, low-cost GPS devices can be used in such a scenario. The evaluation is performed comparing data from low-cost GPS devices to data collected using a highly accurate reference system. The analysis permits to assess the feasibility of two different, very popular, commercial GPS devices for the ALARP requirements on localization.

► We analyze the performance of COTS GPS for the localization of railway workers.
► We introduce an effectiveness function for GPS devices in the railway-site scenario.
► Results provided by different Globalsat devices are metrologically concurrent.
► Garmin 18 LVC exhibits superior performance after its warm-up phase has ended.