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Indoor localisation is a thriving field, whose progresses are mainly led by innovations in sensor technology, both hardware and software. With a focus on smartphone-based personal navigation, we examine the evolution of sensing technologies in eleven leading applications. In order to select applications we choose among independently-tested prototypes, as opposed to simulation or laboratory-only experiments. To this end, we look at the best performers in the smartphone-based Tracks of IPIN competitions. This selection is particularly severe and significant, as this competition Track is performed live, without an opportunity for competitors to instrument or prepare the site or to know the path in advance and with only two attempts allowed, of which the best result is taken. An independent actor holds in hand the smartphone running the competing system, and results are downloaded from the phone immediately after the competition path is completed, without any post-processing. We show how sensing technologies have evolved from 2014 to 2019 and show a trend towards improving accuracy performance. Last, we provide insight in the role that sensors and algorithms play in the evolution of smartphone-based indoor localisation solutions.

One of the aims of the SatNEx (Satellite Network of Excellence, http://www.satnex.de) European project is to provide the scientific community that operates on satellite communications with measurement campaign results and evaluation tools, in order to support research activities that investigate problems in satellite communications at different levels of the OSI stack. In fact, the research activities developed in SatNEx address the most relevant aspects of satellite communications, such as channel modulation and coding schemes, access strategies, advanced networking, end-to-end quality of service, transport performance, delay tolerant networks, and new applications. Even if SatNEx is mainly devoted to satellite communications, integration of satellite and terrestrial wireless segments has also been taken into account. This paper presents the results obtained in the specific research activity devoted to trials and testbeds developed during the SatNEx project. The high number of authors of this paper is an indication of the strong collaborative work sustained, the numerous measurement campaigns, and the complexity in developing integrated testbeds.