LEO Satellite and RIS: Two Keys to Seamless Indoor and Outdoor Localization

Abstract: The contemporary landscape of wireless technology underscores the critical role of precise localization services. Traditional global navigation satellite systems (GNSS)-based solutions, however, fall short when it comes to indoor environments, and existing indoor localization techniques such as electromagnetic fingerprinting methods face challenges of additional implementation costs and limited coverage. This article explores an innovative solution that blends low Earth orbit (LEO) satellites with reconfigurable intelligent surfaces (RISs), unlocking its potential for realizing seamless indoor and outdoor localization (SIOL) with global coverage. After a comprehensive review of the distinctive characteristics of LEO satellites and RISs, we showcase their potential for SIOL applications through two case studies on position error bound evaluation. Finally, we discuss system architectures and highlight open challenges in such systems.