The broader impact/commercial potential of this Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I project is the ability for case investigation and contact tracing as core disease control measures during times of viral outbreak. This technology enables facilities to track and adhere to capacity limits for indoor spaces. The data generated will allow facilities to ensure a higher degree of safety during instances of high viral transmission risk as seen during the COVID-19 pandemic. This technology is marketable as one of the many advances possible in newly built or renovated smart buildings as it will offer innovations in mobile computing, the Internet of Things, and cyber-physical systems. This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I project proposes a more accurate indoor positioning method, utilizing the numerical propagation model, semantic model, and Building Information Modeling (BIM) to solve multi-objective optimization problems. Currently available tracking models cannot accurately ascertain the number and location of occupants in a given space. The research objectives of this proposal involve using environmental information stored within 3D models including wall and floor location, materials composition, dimensional analysis, and furniture layouts to detect occupants accurately. The semantic information will be gathered based on the building configuration and user profiles. Three parameters: physical obstacles, previous positions, and job functions will be used to calculate the probability of the target being in a given location. The anticipated technical result will be the creation of a 3D probability map that can search the environment for real-time indoor positioning. This will enable building managers to track how many occupants are in any given location to more accurately comply with capacity restrictions, especially in times of severe viral outbreaks.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.
