Simulation Framework for Evaluation of Indoor Navigation Systems

In this paper, we introduce the first simulation framework that provides cost-effective means to evaluate indoor navigation systems for different user groups (e.g., users with visual impairment), various positioning techniques, and navigation instructions algorithms. The simulation engine uses the Unity game engine, which tracks the virtual user interaction and motion in a virtual environment that represents the physical environment in which the user navigates. The framework includes the following modules that will be defined by the indoor navigation system developers: 1) Positioning module which simulates indoor localization techniques and their observed accuracy; 2) Indoor navigation algorithm module that generates the navigation instructions using natural language phrases, and 3) Virtual user model (VUM) that includes human perception and information processing that can understand navigation instructions, perceive the surrounding environment, and act based on this information. The framework also includes a performance analysis module that evaluates the indoor navigation system performance in terms of navigation success rate and route similarity.