Position Estimate Assisted by DSRC for Outdoor Wireless Environments 2014-01-0269

Precise vehicle positioning is dependent on the availability of a clear line of sight path between a vehicle and four or more satellites. For improved estimation of vehicle positioning in the absence of a complete set of visible satellites, Dedicated Short-Range Communication (DSRC) may offer a temporary position estimate. This paper investigates the feasibility of acquiring position based solely on DSRC signals. First the precision of DSRC signal strength (SI)-based position estimates is analyzed; this is followed by an analysis of position estimates based on time of flight (TOF). SI and TOF methods are compared using an extensive set of outdoor data collected from 30 vehicles on a test track. This research suggests that TOF is a better measure than SI for estimating position information.