Evaluating location fingerprinting methods for underground GSM networks deployed over Leaky Feeder

Accurate localization techniques have long been of major importance for safety systems and a lot of research has been conducted in the distributed computing field regarding its functionality and reliability. In the specific scenario of long yet narrow tunnels existing at CERN, localization methods will enable a number of applications and processes to substantially reduce human intervention. In this paper we evaluate the use of Fingerprinting techniques with GSM signal available throughout the LHC tunnel via a radiating cable and compare some methods to estimate the location. The existing GSM infrastructure and tunnel conditions seem to be favorable to the adoption of these Fingerprinting methods. Nevertheless significant variations in the signal have been observed which might be traced back to different operational states of accelerator equipment. These effects and their sources will be analyzed in more detail in order to improve the applied techniques and their accuracy under such challenging conditions.