Wafa Njima

Indoor localization systems are critical for Industry-4.0 applications.Visible Light Communication (VLC)-based systems offer advantages such as immunity to electromagnetic interference, high accuracy, and energy efficiency, but their performance is hindered by environmental variability across deployment areas. This paper presents a transfer learning (TL) framework for VLC-based indoor localization that enhances cross-area robustness while reducing data requirements. Using real-world measurements from four distinct areas of a Bosch manufacturing facility, we show that fine-tuning a deep neural network (DNN) pre-trained on source area data with only 40% of target-area measurements recovers 97% of full-data performance, thereby reducing the amount of target data needed. We further introduce the Transfer Efficiency Score (TES), a composite metric that identifies the most effective source models for transfer without exhaustive evaluation. Guided by TES, the framework selects the best source model, yielding localization errors as low as 40.9 cm with success rates above 86%. Validation on an unseen area confirms its generalization capability, with a 3.28 cm mean error achieved using the TES-selected source model. Overall, the proposed framework provides a scalable and data-efficient pathway for industrial VLC localization, substantially reducing deployment costs and computational burden while maintaining high accuracy in diverse and dynamic environments.

Grace à l'émergence croissante de l'Internet des Objets et à l'importance de l'information de position dans ce contexte, lalocalisation attire de plus en plus d'attention dans la communauté des chercheurs. La localisation en extérieur est assuréepar le GPS qui n'est pas adapté aux environnements intérieurs. Plusieurs techniques de localisation en intérieur existent,mais il n'existe pas encore un standard. L'objectif de cette thèse est d'améliorer les techniques de localisation existantestout en maintenant un niveau de localisation satisfaisant avec une faible complexité de calcul. Afin de surmonter lesinconvénients des techniques de localisation existantes, nous avons proposé des approches alternatives. Dans un contexte de communication distribuée, la trilatération a été combinée avec un processus d'optimisation qui vise à compléter la matrice de distances inter nœuds à partir des données partiellement connues en se basant sur des algorithmes d’optimisation avancés. Ainsi une solution de localisation pour une architecture distribuée a été proposée. Pour une architecture centralisée utilisant la technique du fingerprinting contenant les puissances reçues, plusieurs stratégies ont été étudiées. Une étude comparative entre les différentes métriques d'évaluation de similarité a été développée. Cette étude a été suivie par le développement d'un modèle linéaire entre le fingerprint de test et les fingerprints d'une base de données générant une relation mathématique qui relie les puissances du signal reçues par un objet à ses coordonnées. Cela aide à diminuer la complexité de calcul en ligne et ainsi mieux s'adapter à un système temps réel. Enfin, la relation entre les puissances reçues et les coordonnées a été confiée à un réseau de neurones convolutif (CNN) qui traite le problème de localisation comme un problème de classification d'images radio. Les performances de toutes les approches proposées ont été évaluées et discutées. Ces résultats montrent bien l'amélioration des performances des techniques basiques en termes de précision de localisation et de complexité.

The rapid expansion of the Internet of Things enables seamless collaboration among connected devices, making indoor localization a critical component of industrial automation. However, conventional localization techniques struggle in dynamic environments. These methods depend on extensive, frequent data collection and environment-specific calibration, limiting scalability, interoperability, and effective use of prior research while imposing significant energy penalties that hinder practical deployment. To address these challenges, we propose an energy-efficient transfer learning (TL) based approach for visible light communication based indoor localization. Our method leverages TL to tackle environmental variability, including lighting fluctuations and physical obstacles that typically degrade localization performance, while simultaneously reducing computational overhead and energy consumption compared to conventional approaches. We also introduce a novel model efficiency (ME) metric, designed to integrate localization accuracy, energy efficiency, data efficiency, and transfer gain into a single evaluative measure for comprehensive optimization. Evaluations on a real-world dataset collected from a BOSCH factory demonstrate that our model achieves a 47% improvement in localization accuracy compared to a conventional model that does not utilize TL, and achieves up to 67.5% ME with TL models, compared to only 10.4% in conventional models under high-noise conditions. These results underscore the potential of our approach to deliver a highly efficient and scalable indoor localization system suitable for energy-constrained industrial applications.

Location information serves as the fundamental element for numerous Internet of Things (IoT) applications. Traditional indoor localization techniques often produce significant errors and raise privacy concerns due to centralized data collection. In response, Machine Learning (ML) techniques offer promising solutions by capturing indoor environment variations. However, they typically require central data aggregation, leading to privacy, bandwidth, and server reliability issues. To overcome these challenges, in this paper, we propose a Federated Learning (FL)-based approach for dynamic indoor localization using a Deep Neural Network (DNN) model. Experimental results show that FL has the nearby performance to Centralized Model (CL) while keeping the data privacy, bandwidth efficiency and server reliability. This research demonstrates that our proposed FL approach provides a viable solution for privacy-enhanced indoor localization, paving the way for advancements in secure and efficient indoor localization systems.

Accurate indoor localization is crucial in industrial environments. Visible Light Communication (VLC) has emerged as a promising solution, offering high accuracy, energy efficiency, and minimal electromagnetic interference. However, VLC-based indoor localization faces challenges due to environmental variability, such as lighting fluctuations and obstacles. To address these challenges, we propose a Transfer Learning (TL)-based approach for VLC-based indoor localization. Using real-world data collected at a BOSCH factory, the TL framework integrates a deep neural network (DNN) to improve localization accuracy by 47\%, reduce energy consumption by 32\%, and decrease computational time by 40\% compared to the conventional models. The proposed solution is highly adaptable under varying environmental conditions and achieves similar accuracy with only 30\% of the dataset, making it a cost-efficient and scalable option for industrial applications in Industry 4.0.

In dynamic environments, localization accuracy often deteriorates due to an outdated or invalid database. Traditional approaches typically use Transfer Learning (TL) to address this issue, but TL suffers from the problem of catastrophic forgetting. This paper proposes a fingerprint-based Continual Learning (CL) localization system designed to retain old data while enhancing the accuracy for new data. The system works by rehearsing parameters in the lower network layers and reducing the training rate in the upper layers. Simulations conducted with fused data show that the proposed approach improves accuracy by 16% for new data and 29% for old data compared to TL in smaller rooms. In larger rooms, it achieves a 14% improvement for new data and a 44% improvement for old data over TL. These results demonstrate that the proposed CL approach not only enhances localization accuracy but also effectively mitigates the issue of catastrophic forgetting.

Accurate indoor localization remains challenging due to variations in wireless signal environments and limited data availability. This paper introduces MetaGraphLoc, a novel system leveraging sensor fusion, graph neural networks (GNNs), and meta-learning to overcome these limitations. MetaGraphLoc integrates received signal strength indicator measurements with inertial measurement unit data to enhance localization accuracy. Our proposed GNN architecture, featuring dynamic edge construction (DEC), captures the spatial relationships between access points and underlying data patterns. MetaGraphLoc employs a meta-learning framework to adapt the GNN model to new environments with minimal data collection, significantly reducing calibration efforts. Extensive evaluations demonstrate the effectiveness of MetaGraphLoc. Data fusion reduces localization error by 15.92%, underscoring its importance. The GNN with DEC outperforms traditional deep neural networks by up to 30.89%, considering accuracy. Furthermore, the meta-learning approach enables efficient adaptation to new environments, minimizing data collection requirements. These advancements position MetaGraphLoc as a promising solution for indoor localization, paving the way for improved navigation and location-based services in the ever-evolving Internet of Things networks.

The proliferation of the Internet of Things fosters collaboration among connected devices for tasks like indoor localization. However, existing indoor localization solutions struggle with dynamic and harsh conditions, requiring extensive data collection and environment-specific calibration. These factors impede cooperation, scalability, and the utilization of prior research efforts. To address these challenges, we propose FeMLoc, a federated meta-learning framework for localization. FeMLoc operates in two stages: (i) collaborative meta-training, where edge devices contribute diverse localization data to train a global meta-model using a combination of model-agnostic meta-learning and federated averaging techniques. (ii) Rapid adaptation for new environments, where the pre-trained global meta-model initializes localization models, requiring only minimal fine-tuning with a small amount of new data. In this paper, we provide a detailed technical overview of FeMLoc, highlighting its unique approach to privacy-preserving meta-learning in the context of indoor localization. Our performance evaluations on real-world datasets including UJIIndoorLoc demonstrate the superiority of FeMLoc over state-of-the-art methods, enabling swift adaptation to new indoor environments with reduced calibration effort. Specifically, FeMLoc achieves up to 80.95% improvement in localization accuracy compared to the conventional baseline neural network (NN) approach after only 100 gradient steps. Alternatively, for a target accuracy of around 5m, FeMLoc achieves the same level of accuracy up to 82.21% faster than the baseline NN approach. This translates to FeMLoc requiring fewer training iterations, thereby significantly reducing fingerprint data collection and calibration efforts. Moreover, FeMLoc exhibits enhanced scalability, making it well-suited for location-aware massive connectivity driven by emerging wireless communication technologies.

The rapid growth of the Internet of Things fosters collaboration among connected devices for tasks like indoor localization. However, existing indoor localization solutions struggle with dynamic and harsh conditions, requiring extensive data collection and environment-specific calibration. These factors impede cooperation, scalability, and the utilization of prior research efforts. To address these challenges, we propose FeMLoc, a federated meta-learning framework for localization. FeMLoc operates in two stages: (i) collaborative meta-training where a global meta-model is created by training on diverse localization datasets from edge devices. (ii) Rapid adaptation for new environments, where the pre-trained global meta-model initializes the localization model, requiring only minimal fine-tuning with a small amount of new data. In this paper, we provide a detailed technical overview of FeMLoc, highlighting its unique approach to privacy-preserving meta-learning in the context of indoor localization. Our performance evaluation demonstrates the superiority of FeMLoc over state-of-the-art methods, enabling swift adaptation to new indoor environments with reduced calibration effort. Specifically, FeMLoc achieves up to 80.95% improvement in localization accuracy compared to the conventional baseline neural network (NN) approach after only 100 gradient steps. Alternatively, for a target accuracy of around 5m, FeMLoc achieves the same level of accuracy up to 82.21% faster than the baseline NN approach. This translates to FeMLoc requiring fewer training iterations, thereby significantly reducing fingerprint data collection and calibration efforts. Moreover, FeMLoc exhibits enhanced scalability, making it well-suited for location-aware massive connectivity driven by emerging wireless communication technologies.