LoRa-based localization systems for noisy outdoor environment

LoRa-based (Long Range Communication based) localization systems make use of RSSI (Received Signal Strength Indicator) to locate an object properly in an outdoor environment for IoT (Internet of Things) applications in smart environment and urban networking. The accuracy of localization is highly degraded, however, by noisy environments (e.g., electronic interference, blocking). To address this issue, this paper proposes two new localization algorithms to improve localization accuracy. Furthermore, the paper develops a winner selection strategy to select a winner from the traditional localization algorithm and the two new algorithms to minimize localization errors. Our simulations and real experiments found that the two new algorithms can significantly improve localization accuracy. Additionally, the winner selection strategy effectively selects a winner from the three algorithms to improve localization accuracy further. Using our proposed algorithms in some real experiments, the localization error is only a few meters in a real measurement field longer than 100 m.