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On-line Access: 2026-03-02
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A review of UAV positioning in LAIN: toward a 5G-core “space-air-ground” integrated and cooperative architecture
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Yao JIN, Zhongliang DENG, He ZHANG, Zhenke DING, Xiongyan TANG, Zelin WANG. A review of UAV positioning in LAIN: toward a 5G-core “space-air-ground” integrated and cooperative architecture[J]. Journal of Zhejiang University Science C, 2026, 27(1): 1-16.
@article{title="A review of UAV positioning in LAIN: toward a 5G-core “space-air-ground” integrated and cooperative architecture",
author="Yao JIN, Zhongliang DENG, He ZHANG, Zhenke DING, Xiongyan TANG, Zelin WANG",
journal="Journal of Zhejiang University Science C",
volume="27",
number="1",
pages="1-16",
year="2026",
publisher="Zhejiang University Press & Springer",
doi="10.1631/ENG.ITEE.2025.0127"
}
%0 Journal Article
%T A review of UAV positioning in LAIN: toward a 5G-core “space-air-ground” integrated and cooperative architecture
%A Yao JIN
%A Zhongliang DENG
%A He ZHANG
%A Zhenke DING
%A Xiongyan TANG
%A Zelin WANG
%J Frontiers of Information Technology & Electronic Engineering
%V 27
%N 1
%P 1-16
%@ 1869-1951
%D 2026
%I Zhejiang University Press & Springer
%DOI 10.1631/ENG.ITEE.2025.0127
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T1 - A review of UAV positioning in LAIN: toward a 5G-core “space-air-ground” integrated and cooperative architecture
A1 - Yao JIN
A1 - Zhongliang DENG
A1 - He ZHANG
A1 - Zhenke DING
A1 - Xiongyan TANG
A1 - Zelin WANG
J0 - Frontiers of Information Technology & Electronic Engineering
VL - 27
IS - 1
SP - 1
EP - 16
%@ 1869-1951
Y1 - 2026
PB - Zhejiang University Press & Springer
ER -
DOI - 10.1631/ENG.ITEE.2025.0127
Abstract: The rapid expansion of the low-altitude economy is driving strong demand for highly accurate and reliable positioning technologies to support diverse aerial operations. This review examines core positioning methodologies within the low-altitude intelligent network (LAIN) framework, beginning with an analysis of positioning requirements and performance metrics for low-altitude flight scenarios. It systematically assesses the principles, strengths, and limitations of mainstream positioning systems, including Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS), terrestrial wireless positioning, and autonomous navigation, and it surveys prevalent integrated and cooperative positioning schemes. Our analysis demonstrates that standalone positioning technologies are inadequate in complex low-altitude settings, underscoring the pivotal role of multi-source fusion and unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) swarm cooperative positioning as future trends. To address infrastructure gaps and high deployment costs in current LAIN systems, we propose a “space-air-ground” integrated and cooperative positioning architecture centered on GNSS and the 5th generation mobile communication technology (5G). The ground layer integrates 5G and GNSS for wide-area enhanced positioning. The aerial layer uses 5G aircraft-to-everything (A2X) and sidelink (SL) communications to build self-organizing networks for cooperative UAV localization. The space layer leverages low Earth orbit (LEO) satellites to overcome coverage limitations in communication and positioning. This hierarchical architecture reduces deployment costs through infrastructure reuse and enables deep integration of communication and navigation capabilities. By supporting collaborative enhancement across all three domains, the framework improves positioning robustness and delivers cost-effective, ubiquitous, and highly reliable positioning services. Finally, we outline promising research directions. This review aims to provide a systematic reference and a novel architectural perspective for the ongoing development of LAIN.
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