VIPS: A video-based indoor positioning system with centimeter-grade accuracy for the IoT

In this paper, we propose a video-based indoor positioning system (VIPS) to provide centimeter-grade localization for the Internet of Things (IoT). The VIPS system integrates installed surveillance cameras with the IoT to provide highly-accurate positioning information to indoor people, which efficiently enables microlocation-aware IoT applications and services in smart environments. VIPS can estimate the precise position of an individual and detect the facing direction for each individual. To the best of our knowledge, VIPS is the first indoor positioning system which provides the following features: 1) it achieves the centimeter-grade positioning accuracy for the IoT that can detect the facing direction of individuals, 2) it employs existing surveillance cameras that can keep additional construction cost low, and 3) it establishes an innovative infrastructure for next-generation IoT applications that can make centimeter-accuracy individual-based path planning, group-based emergency evacuation, and microlocation-based geofencing possible. With the IoT, the estimated positions can be transmitted to corresponding individuals for interacting with nearby smart objects. With surveillance cameras, the facing direction of an individual can be detected even if her/his current position is not changed. This paper demonstrates our current prototype.