Indoor Positioning Systems in Logistics: A Review

Laura Vaccari, Antonio Maria Coruzzolo (), Francesco Lolli and Miguel Afonso Sellitto
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Laura Vaccari: Department of Sciences and Methods for Engineering, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Via Amendola 2, 42122 Reggio Emilia, Italy
Antonio Maria Coruzzolo: Department of Sciences and Methods for Engineering, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Via Amendola 2, 42122 Reggio Emilia, Italy
Francesco Lolli: Department of Sciences and Methods for Engineering, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Via Amendola 2, 42122 Reggio Emilia, Italy
Miguel Afonso Sellitto: Production and Systems Engineering Graduate Program, Universidade do Vale do Rio dos Sinos, UNISINOS, Av. Unisinos, 950—Cristo Rei, São Leopoldo 93022-000, Brazil

Logistics, 2024, vol. 8, issue 4, 1-31

Abstract: Background: Indoor Positioning Systems (IPS) have gained increasing relevance in logistics, offering solutions for safety enhancement, intralogistics management, and material flow control across various environments such as industrial facilities, offices, hospitals, and supermarkets. This study aims to evaluate IPS technologies’ performance and applicability to guide practitioners in selecting systems suited to specific contexts. Methods: The study systematically reviews key IPS technologies, positioning methods, data types, filtering methods, and hybrid technologies, alongside real-world examples of IPS applications in various testing environments. Results: Our findings reveal that radio-based technologies, such as Radio Frequency Identification (RFID), Ultra-wideband (UWB), Wi-Fi, and Bluetooth (BLE), are the most commonly used, with UWB offering the highest accuracy in industrial settings. Geometric methods, particularly multilateration, proved to be the most effective for positioning and are supported by advanced filtering techniques like the Extended Kalman Filter and machine learning models such as Convolutional Neural Networks. Overall, hybrid approaches that integrate multiple technologies demonstrated enhanced accuracy and reliability, effectively mitigating environmental interferences and signal attenuation. Conclusions: The study provides valuable insights for logistics practitioners, emphasizing the importance of selecting IPS technologies suited to specific operational contexts, where precision and reliability are critical to operational success.

Keywords: logistics; indoor positioning system; tracking; indoor technologies (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: L8 L80 L81 L86 L87 L9 L90 L91 L92 L93 L98 L99 M1 M10 M11 M16 M19 R4 R40 R41 R49 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2024
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