Indoor Positioning

There are numerous different ways in which different companies are attempting to solve the indoor positioning riddle, but the majority of the leading solutions nowadays use a number of sensors in order to create a digital twin, or map, of an indoor space. When a user device, most often a smartphone, moves through this space, then the relative signal strength from a number of the sensors can be used to triangulate the device’s location.

Of course, this is only the most basic setup, and accounting for more advanced considerations - such as the user’s orientation - requires far more sophisticated calculations and technological solutions. Pointr’s Deep Location® technology has multiple patents powering its state of the art, high precision engine, and is the result of years of work producing systems for some of the world’s biggest companies.

Outdoor positioning technologies such as Google Maps now work so well and are so ubiquitous that we often take them for granted. With this in mind, it’s natural to ask why an indoor positioning system is necessary or important for modern locations. 

The answer is that the technology that powers the vast majority of outdoor mapping and blue dot systems - GPS - is unable to work effectively in most indoor environments. The technical reasons for this are outlined in this post, but the upshot is that indoor positioning technology is important because GPS is unable to serve the growing needs and expectations of users when they move indoors, and therefore different systems are required. 

A number of technologies have been used in indoor positioning deployments. The most popular options for indoor blue dot systems are Bluetooth (specifically Bluetooth Low Energy, a low powered version of Bluetooth that saves battery by restricting the amount of data that can be transferred), 5G, ultra wideband and Wi-Fi (using access points). 

Using the above links, you’ll be able to read in greater detail about the benefits and drawbacks of each of the aforementioned technologies in relation to indoor positioning.

At Pointr, while we do support other technologies where necessary, we have focused on a BLE-powered solution for most indoor positioning deployments. Bluetooth has a number of key advantages that set it apart from other competing technologies, including:

• Accuracy - While certain technologies are theoretically able to produce more accurate results under the right conditions, Bluetooth is able to consistently deliver accuracy commensurate to an effective indoor positioning across a wide range of environments and use cases

• Ubiquity - Bluetooth is present in almost all modern smartphones as well as a plethora of other consumer devices, making it ideal for positioning systems. Other technologies, such as UWB, are still uncommon enough that they will only work with a small number of devices, therefore making them unsuitable for consumer-facing blue dot systems

• Cost - As well as not requiring the purchase of expensive bespoke devices for users to carry with them as they move through a space, Bluetooth sensors are also cheaper than many of the alternatives, and have sufficient battery life that means they can last for years before needing to be replaced

The efficacy of an indoor positioning system is highly dependent on a number of factors, including the ceiling height (assuming that’s where beacons are located), the number of obstructions such as pillars or walls, and the density of beacons. With this in mind, it’s not possible to categorically state a definitive density of sensors or beacons that is able to achieve high accuracy indoor blue dot results every time.

That said, based on hundreds of different deployments Pointr have conducted for a huge number of different clients, including several Fortune 100 companies, we have found that one sensor per 800 to 1,600 sqft of indoor space is sufficient to ensure a high quality positioning experience.