Handheld Apps for Warfighters

As military operations move to urban, cavernous, foliage covered or indoor environments, position navigation and time information becomes more difficult and in some cases impossible to deduce from GPS signals alone. Under the proposed effort TRX will develop and implement an Android-based application that delivers GPS-denied navigation and mapping for tactical battlefield use. The TRX application will be run on a standard Android platform (e.g., Nexus One, EVO) and will leverage a waist-worn tracking unit and navigation algorithms that incorporates inertial, magnetometer, pressure, GPS, WiFi, and cellular derived information to present accurate GPS-denied location. The application will deliver GPS-denied (e.g., indoors, underground, urban canyon) positioning information on the handheld, provide a handheld GUI that will show personnel their 3D location, and will make 3D maps of the areas dismounted soldiers traverse as they travel. The cell phone data channel will be used for communications back to an optional server-based application that, when available, will enhance accuracy and deliver situational awareness for a commanding officer (including delivery of personnel status such as crawling, motionless, etc.). TRX will develop and deliver an API to make the GPS-denied tracking, location, and mapping information available for integration into existing GPS tracking and mapping applications.