A REference implementation of interoperable indoor location & communication systems for FIrst Responders: the REFIRE project

Localization and navigation support in GPS-denied areas represents a challenge for humans and robots operating in emergency situations. Although a great deal of effort has been performed around this topics in the last decade, to date, there is not any off-the-shelf solution to provide location and data communication services for fire responders in deep indoor environments. Most of the solutions available are based on proprietary infrastructures deployed in the environment and able to provide accurate localization. These systems are not suitable for interoperating; hence, there is the need to develop standard communication and localization protocols. To overcome the above-mentioned limitations the REFIRE project proposes a system composed of deployable solutions exploiting low-cost, simple, highly standardized pre-installed landmarks. The REFIRE project has ambitious targets: to validate such solution in realistic scenarios and to anticipate the proliferation of unfitting proprietary location systems unable to interoperate.