# Fast Deployment of a UWB-Based IPS for Emergency Response Operations
## 6 Conclusions  
The critical character of actions performed by FRs during ER operations requires that any technological solution aimed to support them be non-intrusive, effective, quick to deploy, as well as easy to manage and use. Providing command and control centers with an IPS of such features, coupled with simultaneous awareness of incident risks, would strengthen disaster preparedness for a safe and effective response in such operations. Commercial and well-established infrastructure-based IPSs have already been proven suitable for a heterogeneous set of use cases (e.g., healthcare, industry, and retail). However, they may be rendered inoperable during extraordinary situations such as those requiring ER operations and induce substantial costs in terms of both setup and maintenance. As an alternative, the UWB-based IPS implemented herein fulfills the performance requirements of ER operations while being easily and quickly deployed, operated, and dismantled after its use. One of the most time-consuming tasks for IPSs without pre-existing infrastructure is the initial deployment and setup of reference devices. To accelerate this process, the presented solution implements an automated, worldwide-available, and easy-to-deploy self-location system based on GNSS-RTK. The positioning of each reference device is accomplished in one minute, reaching centimeter-level accuracy in the vast majority of the obtained position samples. Moreover, the resulting absolute reference system created by the UWB anchors could be further employed to locate indoor assets under global coordinates, even under non-ideal GNSS-RTK conditions. The obtained results in a testbed building with strict NLOS conditions show how the UWB-based IPS is able to locate a static tag in a wide set of positions inside the building with less than 1 m of error. Furthermore, real-time tag tracking tests allowed us to reconstruct the path followed by a user simulating the movements of a FR during an ER operation in a timely manner. In fact, the designed low-cost UWB tag mounted on the top of a helmet was able to effectively compute and notify its own position not only inside the target building but also in its closest surroundings. Still, there is wide room to further increase the accuracy of the UWB-based IPS in NLOS conditions. Three potential research lines are here clearly identified: (1) to incorporate UWB communication modules supporting the IEEE 802.15.4z standard, which includes a set of enhancements to ensure reliable and safe ranging [86]; (2) to dynamically detect and remove ranging values from unstable and/or unreliable tag-anchor links before they are introduced into the multilateration algorithm; and (3) to implement a sensor fusion system in the tag, integrating both speed and acceleration measurements from an IMU, which could provide positioning continuity in areas with low or no UWB signal coverage. Furthermore, the particular requirements and constraints of ER operations lead to the addressing of the following challenges: (1) the incorporation of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and automated guided vehicles (AGVs) into the IPS infrastructure to create UWB mobile networks able to follow the operation, achieve full multistory positioning, and sketch digital maps [87; 88]; (2) the assessment of the benefits associated with the looser transmission limitations ruling over LAES-based UWB equipment; (3) the miniaturization and integration of a lightweight tag into already-existing FR equipment (e.g., a firefighter's helmet); and (4) communication redundancy between the tag and the command and control center. Conceptualization, T.A. and M.C. ; methodology, T.A. ; software, T.A. and J.I. ; validation, T.A. and J.I. ; formal analysis, T.A. ; investigation, T.A., J.I. and M.C. ; data curation, T.A. and J.I. ; writing--original draft preparation, T.A. and J.I. ; writing--review and editing, T.A. and M.C. All authors have read and agreed to the published version of the manuscript.