On the Accuracy of Simulation Models for Holographic Indoor Imaging

Holographic imaging at Wi-Fi frequencies requires measurements of the scattered fields on large and densely sampled surfaces, e.g., the walls and ceiling of a room, enclosing a scenery of interest. Hardware realizations of the measurement instrumentation are complex, and data acquisition with moving probe antennas often requires acquisition times in the order of days. Thus, pre-deployment testing and development of imaging algorithms on the basis of synthetic data is desired. However, in the context of highly-echoic indoor scenarios such as domestic or office environments, it is unclear how detailed simulation models have to be in order to provide data of sufficient accuracy. We investigate scattering at low Wi-Fi frequencies of around 2.4 GHz and at a human phantom within an echoic office room. The quality of images generated from a simplistic simulation model and from real-world measurements are compared. The results indicate that similar images can be obtained from simulations without precise knowledge of the geometry of the scenery and of material properties.