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Introducing FLAME: A New Era in Indoor Mapping

FLAME enhances indoor navigation with federated mapping services while respecting user privacy.

― 7 min read


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Maps are everywhere these days, helping us navigate our world. They're used in apps for everything from finding a ride to tracking your fitness, playing games, and even guiding robots. Unfortunately, most of the maps we use come from a few big companies and only cover outdoor areas. As technology improves, there's a growing need for maps that work indoors, too. That's where our new service comes in.

We’re introducing FLAME (Federated Localization and Mapping Engine), a system that connects various mapping services to provide a seamless view of the world. This system not only helps users find their way indoors but also keeps their information secure.

Why Indoor Maps?

With the rise of new technologies like machine learning and advanced sensors on smartphones, we're starting to see accurate mapping available indoors. This means we can have cool things like persistent augmented reality (AR) content right in our homes or offices. Imagine finding your way through a huge store or navigating a university campus with ease!

But there are challenges. Indoor spaces can be complicated. They consist of lots of features and landmarks, which means gathering and maintaining indoor maps requires significant effort. Plus, there are privacy concerns. Many businesses prefer to keep their maps private, like a secret map to their treasure.

The Issues with Current Solutions

Right now, companies like Google and Apple offer mapping services, but they have their limitations. These solutions require a lot of initial data collection and can't easily expand to new locations unless they have their own infrastructure.

Let’s say a new AR app is built using a mapping service, but that service doesn’t cover the area where the user is located. Tough luck! The app won't be able to help out.

The Federation Concept

FLAME is a game-changer! It’s built as a federated service, allowing independent mapping services to work together while maintaining their own data. Think of it as a community where each member has their own special skills but can still share what they know with everyone else.

Map Servers

In FLAME, different parties can operate their own "map servers," which means they can maintain their own maps without sharing sensitive information. This way, users can still access necessary mapping data without exposing private details.

Finding Your Way

But how do we find these map servers? The magic happens using a system we all know well: the Domain Name System (DNS). Instead of relying on a central database, FLAME uses DNS to discover nearby map servers based on your location. It's like asking a friend in the area where to go for lunch instead of checking a big, crowded restaurant list.

Keeping Things in Order

Since different map servers can use different systems, how do we ensure everything is consistent? Wouldn't it be chaotic? FLAME has a neat way of solving this. Instead of trying to fit all maps into a single global grid (which can be super messy), local coordinate systems are used. So each server can operate in its own comfortable space while still communicating with others through common points called Waypoints.

Waypoints: Your New Best Friends

Waypoints are helpful markers on maps that link different areas together. They make it easier for apps to guide you through various environments, like a friendly signpost on the roadside.

For instance, if you need to find the nearest coffee shop, waypoints can help connect you from one map to another seamlessly. This means you’ll get the right directions, even if you’re moving from one server’s area to another.

The Discovery Process

Getting started with FLAME is as easy as pie! Here’s how it works:

  1. Device Location: Your device will first figure out its rough location using various signals like GPS, Wi-Fi, or Bluetooth.

  2. Geo-Domains: The device converts this location into geo-domains, which are essentially names that represent areas on the map.

  3. DNS Queries: The device then sends out DNS queries to find which map servers operate in those geo-domains.

  4. Interacting with Servers: When these map servers respond, the device connects to them to figure out its precise location and how to get where it wants to go.

Challenges on the Path

But, as with any good adventure, there are challenges. One big hurdle is ensuring servers provide consistent and accurate information, especially when they’re relying on their own local systems. Also, keeping things private while sharing just enough data can be tricky.

Privacy Matters

Privacy is a big deal when it comes to indoor spaces. Organizations might want detailed maps for their buildings, but they also want to make sure that information stays private. FLAME respects that privacy by allowing organizations to control their data and limiting how much gets shared with others.

Putting FLAME to the Test

We wanted to make sure FLAME works as intended, so we designed an indoor augmented reality navigation application. This app helps guide users through various spaces, displaying helpful arrows on their smartphone screens to direct them to their destination.

The Outcome

Our studies showed that users could rely on FLAME for accurate location information, even in complex indoor environments. The technology is capable of supporting various applications, proving that a federated approach to mapping can work smoothly and efficiently.

Next-Level Navigation

Let’s zoom into what a typical navigation application might look like using FLAME. Picture this: you’re at a university campus, and you need to find a specific office.

Here’s how the process goes:

  1. Entering the Area: You start outside the campus, using a standard mapping app to navigate the streets.

  2. Transitioning Indoors: Once you’re on campus, the app switches to a map service provided by the university.

  3. Finding the Office: As you move through the campus, FLAME’s waypoints help guide you. You get arrows showing the way on your phone’s screen.

This is a blend of multiple mapping services working together effortlessly!

Building Your Own Map Server

Want to join the FLAME party? Here’s a simple breakdown of how to host your very own map server:

  1. Choose a Geo-Domain: Identify the area where you want to provide localization services.

  2. Register: Register the geo-domains with the DNS to point to your map server.

  3. Create the Map: Use various mapping technologies to create the map for your area. This can involve taking images, scanning the space, or any method that captures the necessary data.

  4. Tagging Waypoints: Make sure to tag important landmarks as waypoints to help users navigate.

  5. Stay Updated: Maintain your map and update it regularly to ensure accuracy.

The Future with FLAME

With FLAME, the possibilities are endless. You can support a wide range of applications while still keeping everything private and secure. It opens doors for new features in augmented reality, gaming, robotics, and much more.

The world of mapping is changing, and FLAME is leading the charge into the future. By giving power back to users and organizations, we ensure that everyone can benefit from accurate mapping services, indoors and out.

Conclusion

The era of widespread mapping is here, and it’s more inclusive than ever. FLAME paves the way for a new level of flexibility and privacy in location-based services. So, get ready to explore, navigate, and discover with our exciting new approach to mapping!

As technologies evolve, and new ideas emerge, the demand for better location services will continue to grow. With FLAME, we can ensure that everyone has access to the mapping solutions they need without sacrificing privacy or quality.

So, whether you’re an avid gamer, a curious explorer, or just someone trying to find their way to the nearest coffee shop, FLAME is ready to light the way!

Original Source

Title: OpenFLAME: Building a large scale federated localization and mapping service

Abstract: The widespread availability of maps has enabled the development of numerous location-based applications, including navigation, ride-sharing, fitness tracking, gaming, robotics, and augmented reality. Today, the maps that power these services are predominantly controlled by a few large corporations and mostly cover outdoor spaces. As the use of these applications expands and indoor localization technologies advance, we are seeing the need for a scalable, federated location management system that can extend into private spaces. We introduce OpenFLAME (Open Federated Localization and Mapping Engine), the first federated and decentralized localization service. OpenFLAME links servers that handle localization for specific regions, providing applications with a seamless global view. Creating a federated localization system poses challenges, such as discovering the appropriate servers for a region and integrating services managed by independent providers. To address these issues and ensure scalability, we leverage Domain Name System (DNS) for service discovery and implement map abstractions to retrieve and merge locations across different maps. Our trace-driven study demonstrates that federated localization across remote servers is feasible with acceptable query latencies. To highlight the potential of the system, we developed an augmented reality navigation application for a large indoor space, showing that OpenFLAME can successfully power location-based applications.

Authors: Sagar Bharadwaj, Luke Wang, Michael Liang, Harrison Williams, Ivan Liang, Srinivasan Seshan, Anthony Rowe

Last Update: Nov 6, 2024

Language: English

Source URL: https://arxiv.org/abs/2411.04271

Source PDF: https://arxiv.org/pdf/2411.04271

Licence: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Changes: This summary was created with assistance from AI and may have inaccuracies. For accurate information, please refer to the original source documents linked here.

Thank you to arxiv for use of its open access interoperability.

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