An indoor navigation app needs several fundamental components to work.
- A map of the area in question, or at least an understanding of the area’s paths and topography
- A way of fixing a user’s position in the environment
- A refresh rate that enables the user’s position to be tracked, along with other helpful information such as orientation and speed of travel
- An interface that can translate this data into a recognizable form for users - such as demonstrating where they’re currently located via a blue dot, and indicating where they need to go with a highlighted route
With all of this in place, the app is capable of providing a navigation experience. Of course, this is the most bare bones version of what can often be highly complicated systems. Many navigation apps enabled multiple stops, different types of points of interest, different navigation options (such as fastest route or least congested path). These options naturally require more complex systems.