Indoor Positioning Systems

1. Indoor Positioning System

2. Indoor Positioning System: What Is It? • The simplest definition of IPS or Indoor Positioning System is that it is like GPS for the indoor environment. The indoor positioning system is used to locate objects or individuals inside a building or typically through mobile devices such as tablet or smart phones. • Although technologies nowadays are newer than the GPS, the services provided by the indoor postponing systems are quickly gaining traction in various places, including airports, hospitals, shopping malls and other venues indoor where navigation or other location services are proven indispensable.

3. How Does IPS Work? • Indoor Positioning System technologies like the Step Inside can leverage internal sensor in any mobile devices to calculate indoor position devices that are utilizing complex mathematical algorithm. By combining incoming information from the sensor, you will be able to calculate an accurate position without latency that results in smooth user experiences. • For best and smooth user experience or one that’s fast, Indoor Positioning Systems typically rely on 3 distinct elements. The first one is an underlying dynamic system platform. The second one is a beacon that broadcasts signal picked up via smartphones then fed to the positioning systems. The third element is the app built positioning systems.

4. What is IPS used for? • When it’s all about the uses of the Indoor Positioning Systems, sky is the limit. Well, here are some examples of the applications & benefits of Location-Based Systems. • Location-based messaging & advertising • Dynamic turn by routing • Insights in people flow • Efficiency of work improvement

5. Available Indoor Positioning System Technologies • When it comes to the indoor positioning technologies, there are wide-range of various technologies that cater to various needs, budgets and applications. You may be using them without any idea at all. These are as follows: • Wi-Fi. The indoor positioning that is based on the signals of Wi-Fi is called fingerprinting system. The Wi-Fi signal is measured or based on the strength of the calculated position of users. One great advantage of this is that the Wi-Fi access point is always readily available in the buildings, which minimizes the need of further installation. The downside of this technology is that obtainable positions are relatively inaccurate.

6. Light-Based. One of the newest branches of the indoor positioning is using lighting just to position things or people inside buildings. Through using LED, light goes through harvesting & illuminating daylight to bring indoor space. Furthermore, the light fixture is the one that communicates with mobile devices such as smartphones by video analytics, Bluetooth energy and Visible Light. • What is the Best IPS Technology Today? • With various solutions that are based on the different indoor positioning technologies out there, perhaps you are asking which the best one. Well, every indoor positioning technology provides different options when it comes to accuracy, price, software or hardware requirements. • The best answer for the question simply depends on characteristics of projects and that includes the sizes and hardware infrastructure. If there is sufficient place, room or area to locate the needed technology, it will probably make a difference in your aim to locate in shelf level.

7. Five Things You Should Know About (IPS) Indoor Positioning Systems • Indoor Positioning can detect the specific location of an object or people, but not its direction • Indoor positioning system can determine the location. However, it still requires additional data in determining what way an object or people is facing and that could make giving direction or picking a product form a store become more challenging. In addition, the electronic compass many mobile phones or (MEMS) microelectromechanical system orientation sensors and prompt to know the direction. That can also help in providing more information about the orientation. • GPS doesn’t work better indoors • Since today’s more GPS sensitive chips sometimes get fix or receive signal from a satellite to know the location inside buildings, location result is not always accurate. It is because the signals that users get from the satellite are attenuated or scattered by walls, roofs and many other objects. Apart from that, the error that range of most GPS chips can be bigger than the space itself indoors such as a small store.

8. Indoor Positioning Systems are in demand to various uses • Some users’ goal of the indoor positioning notably malls, hospitals and other indoor venues to give navigation aid. While others are utilizing the indoor positioning systems to market well to their customers or provide in-time data via radio for tours that offer augmented reality or video experiences, connecting interests of people. The U.S. Federal Communication Commission is hoping to use the indoor positioning systems to provide more effective and timelier emergency services. • Few Indoor Positioning System solutions function same as GPS • Some Australian companies offer beacon, which sends out signal covering the large areas or locations and can even penetrate walls. Nokia utilizes the beacon that sends Bluetooth signal. While most Bluetooth devices have the ability to read them, the beacon only covers a few meters. • Moreover, many companies today are into using Wi-Fi signal. Due to the good map location of access points, Wi-Fi receivers such as your mobile phones can be placed even indoors.

9. Indoor Positioning Systems need indoor maps • To determine the accurate location or people indoors, users of indoor positioning systems are required to use indoor maps. Locating a device and a person indoors is not a full solution. To make your navigation and other purposes more meaningful, service providers require an accurate indoor map.