Particle filtering supported probability density estimation of mobility patterns

Abstract

This paper presents a methodology that aims to enhance the accuracy of probability density estimation in mobility pattern analysis by integrating prior knowledge of system dynamics and contextual information into the particle filter algorithm. The quality of the data used for density estimation is often inadequate due to measurement noise, which significantly influences the distribution of the measurement data. Thus, it is crucial to augment the information content of the input data by incorporating additional sources of information beyond the measured position data. These other sources can include the dynamic model of movement and the spatial model of the environment, which influences motion patterns. To effectively combine the information provided by positional measurements with system and environment models, the particle filter algorithm is employed, which generates discrete probability distributions. By subjecting these discrete distributions to exploratory techniques, it becomes possible to extract more certain information compared to using raw measurement data alone. Consequently, this study proposes a methodology in which probability density estimation is not solely based on raw positional data but rather on probability-weighted samples generated through the particle filter. This approach yields more compact and precise modeling distributions. Specifically, the method is applied to process position measurement data using a nonparametric density estimator known as kernel density estimation. The proposed methodology is thoroughly tested and validated using information-theoretic and probability metrics. The applicability of the methodology is demonstrated through a practical example of mobility pattern analysis based on forklift data in a warehouse environment.

Keywords

• Mobility pattern analysis
• Kernel density estimation
• Particle filter