Building positioning systems for mobile services
According to Strategy Analytics , currently users of mobile applications inside buildings create up to 80% of mobile traffic. Indoor GPS familiar to us does not work. Amid the great interest of users and companies in geolocation services, there is a rapid growth of startups trying to solve the problem of positioning inside buildings (Indoor Location).
Who needs it and which mobile applications will benefit from the advent of new technology?
Passengers will have the opportunity to determine their position inside an unfamiliar building, get directions to the check-in counter they need or exit to the airplane. The airport will be able to make push notifications to passengers about the beginning and completion of registration for the flight, about the start of boarding the plane. As a result, both the passenger wins - due to the prompt receipt of the required information - and the airport - by optimizing the flow of passengers inside the building.
Example implementation of an idea: GateGuru
Imagine that a seller in a shopping center has the opportunity to detect the fact that a potential buyer is approaching using the mobile application installed by the user. Having received a unique customer identifier, marketing software based on its database will be able to determine the degree of customer loyalty, analyze the list of previous purchases and make the customer a unique offer with a discount on specific groups of goods using push notifications in a mobile application. The buyer receives a shopping center orientation system, unique personalized discounts. The seller receives a tremendous amount of information for marketing analysis, builds fundamentally new trigger marketing programs, increases loyalty to his brand, increases sales.
Examples of implementing the idea:Shopkick , Pointinside , Wizzy Shopper .
A number of well-known projects such as Foursquare , Gowalla , Facebook places currently use the Check-In principle, when the user manually indicates the location of his stay. With the advent of the widespread Indoor Location services, there will be no need to divert the user's attention to additional actions. Everything will happen automatically. Knowing the location of a friend inside the building will facilitate the task of finding him.
Applications for optical recognition of objects can increase productivity by reducing the search area. In the near future, it will be possible to gather information on where, when and for how long you have been from the calendar of your mobile device.
I suggest you continue the list yourself.
There are a number of technological platforms and algorithms for tracking the position of objects in real time. Some of them are applicable to positioning systems inside buildings.
There is a potential opportunity for mobile application developers to use the first three technology platforms due to the fact that these technologies are supported by almost all modern mobile devices. Attempts to use ultrasonic beacons are also known.
Architecturally, all options for implementing the Indoor Location system can be divided into two large groups: those implemented on the provider side and those implemented on the client side.
Projects such as EKAHAU , Zebra use specialized controllers, a network of access points, server software for data analysis. Specialized WiFi client beacons are used, although it is possible to use ordinary devices with WiFi support. All solutions of this class are aimed at the corporate segment, have a high cost, a long implementation time and are not designed for integration with public mobile applications.
A mobile device (usually WiFi) is used as a signal receiver, which collects data on available access points (MAC, SSID, available connection types). Further, a statistical analysis of the received data is carried out, extreme values are cut off and the most probable values of the measured parameters are calculated.
The simplest method for calculating client coordinates is the triangulation method for access points with known coordinates. The disadvantage of this method is the need to know the coordinates of the access points relative to which the reference is being made. In the case of using the principle of fingerprints, we can compare the resulting set of values with data sets that are tied to specific points in space, and calculate the probability of finding the client at different points in space.
Solutions of this class do not go beyond the framework of concepts, theses of students of technological universities in the USA and Europe ( link1 , link2 , link3 ), articles of employees of R&D departments of corporations ( Nokia , Microsoft ).
When trying to implement our own orientation system inside buildings on popular mobile platforms, a number of unpleasant surprises await us.
The API for working with WiFi and Bluetooth devices is not available. It is technically possible to access devices using the Private API, but the application cannot be hosted on the App Store. In fact, the platform does not allow developing its own Indoor Location services.
An API for working with WiFi and Bluetooth devices is available. The developer has the opportunity to get a list of available Bluetooth devices, but the process of scanning for available devices takes 12-13 seconds. There are no restrictions on the applicability of WiFi.
The API for working with WiFi and Bluetooth devices is not available. The platform does not allow developing its own Indoor Location services.
At the moment, platform owners and service providers are doing their best to divide the emerging Indoor Location market and prevent newcomers from entering it. However, this does not make the task of positioning inside buildings (from a technical point of view) less interesting.
Who needs it and which mobile applications will benefit from the advent of new technology?
Applications for airports and transport hubs
Passengers will have the opportunity to determine their position inside an unfamiliar building, get directions to the check-in counter they need or exit to the airplane. The airport will be able to make push notifications to passengers about the beginning and completion of registration for the flight, about the start of boarding the plane. As a result, both the passenger wins - due to the prompt receipt of the required information - and the airport - by optimizing the flow of passengers inside the building.
Example implementation of an idea: GateGuru
Shopping Center Applications
Imagine that a seller in a shopping center has the opportunity to detect the fact that a potential buyer is approaching using the mobile application installed by the user. Having received a unique customer identifier, marketing software based on its database will be able to determine the degree of customer loyalty, analyze the list of previous purchases and make the customer a unique offer with a discount on specific groups of goods using push notifications in a mobile application. The buyer receives a shopping center orientation system, unique personalized discounts. The seller receives a tremendous amount of information for marketing analysis, builds fundamentally new trigger marketing programs, increases loyalty to his brand, increases sales.
Examples of implementing the idea:Shopkick , Pointinside , Wizzy Shopper .
Check-in applications
A number of well-known projects such as Foursquare , Gowalla , Facebook places currently use the Check-In principle, when the user manually indicates the location of his stay. With the advent of the widespread Indoor Location services, there will be no need to divert the user's attention to additional actions. Everything will happen automatically. Knowing the location of a friend inside the building will facilitate the task of finding him.
Other applications
Applications for optical recognition of objects can increase productivity by reducing the search area. In the near future, it will be possible to gather information on where, when and for how long you have been from the calendar of your mobile device.
I suggest you continue the list yourself.
Technical implementation
There are a number of technological platforms and algorithms for tracking the position of objects in real time. Some of them are applicable to positioning systems inside buildings.
- WiFi location
- Bluetooth location
- GSM location
- Ultrasonic identification and location
- RFID identification and location
- Optical location
There is a potential opportunity for mobile application developers to use the first three technology platforms due to the fact that these technologies are supported by almost all modern mobile devices. Attempts to use ultrasonic beacons are also known.
Architecturally, all options for implementing the Indoor Location system can be divided into two large groups: those implemented on the provider side and those implemented on the client side.
Provided by the provider
Projects such as EKAHAU , Zebra use specialized controllers, a network of access points, server software for data analysis. Specialized WiFi client beacons are used, although it is possible to use ordinary devices with WiFi support. All solutions of this class are aimed at the corporate segment, have a high cost, a long implementation time and are not designed for integration with public mobile applications.
Client-side
A mobile device (usually WiFi) is used as a signal receiver, which collects data on available access points (MAC, SSID, available connection types). Further, a statistical analysis of the received data is carried out, extreme values are cut off and the most probable values of the measured parameters are calculated.
The simplest method for calculating client coordinates is the triangulation method for access points with known coordinates. The disadvantage of this method is the need to know the coordinates of the access points relative to which the reference is being made. In the case of using the principle of fingerprints, we can compare the resulting set of values with data sets that are tied to specific points in space, and calculate the probability of finding the client at different points in space.
Solutions of this class do not go beyond the framework of concepts, theses of students of technological universities in the USA and Europe ( link1 , link2 , link3 ), articles of employees of R&D departments of corporations ( Nokia , Microsoft ).
When trying to implement our own orientation system inside buildings on popular mobile platforms, a number of unpleasant surprises await us.
On iPhone (iOS)
The API for working with WiFi and Bluetooth devices is not available. It is technically possible to access devices using the Private API, but the application cannot be hosted on the App Store. In fact, the platform does not allow developing its own Indoor Location services.
Android
An API for working with WiFi and Bluetooth devices is available. The developer has the opportunity to get a list of available Bluetooth devices, but the process of scanning for available devices takes 12-13 seconds. There are no restrictions on the applicability of WiFi.
Windows Phone 7
The API for working with WiFi and Bluetooth devices is not available. The platform does not allow developing its own Indoor Location services.
Summary
At the moment, platform owners and service providers are doing their best to divide the emerging Indoor Location market and prevent newcomers from entering it. However, this does not make the task of positioning inside buildings (from a technical point of view) less interesting.