Indoor positioning solutions are increasingly attracting companies from various industries. They provide a unique opportunity for businesses to grow by helping them streamline operations, improve security, and increase efficiency. The market for indoor positioning systems is expected to continue to grow in size. The average annual growth rate will soon be 32.56%, and the total volume by 2030 will reach $92.36 billion.
What is an indoor positioning system?
An indoor positioning system is designed to determine the location of an object. With it, you can track the position of people or assets in real time, as well as organize tracking and navigation in buildings.
The indoor positioning system is widely used to create mobile applications for object tracking, indoor navigation and wayfinding. It's used in shopping malls, hospitals, warehouses, manufacturing, and healthcare facilities.
The system is based on the use of special sensors (known as beacons or tags) that are installed indoors or on moving objects. At a given interval, they send out signals in which a unique identifier is encrypted. Readers capture the pulses and transmit them to the server, where the signals are processed, and then finally sent to the user's smartphone or computer.
Many technologies can be used to implement the system. The most common are:
Bluetooth® Low Energy - works with Bluetooth wireless protocols and allows you to calculate the location with an accuracy of up to 3 ft. When using the technology, special beacons (iBeacon) are used, which are characterized by low power consumption and can operate on one battery for up to 5 years. The implementation of the technology does not require a large number of readers, and beacons are pretty affordable, so the use of the system allows you to determine the location of objects with little cost.
Wi-Fi - identifies people and assets with an accuracy of up to 16 ft. Tablets, smartphones, and other similar devices are constantly pinging various tags (access points) and looking for the one that provides the strongest signal. Subsequently, the network management system calculates the tag's location, taking into account the signal's transit time. Wi-Fi positioning can be implemented based on existing infrastructure. The platform has a high signal range and can scale with almost no manual intervention.
UWB is the most accurate technology, locating objects with an accuracy of up to 12 inches. It works over short distances and consumes little power, but requires high implementation costs. Because of this, it's commonly used by businesses that need to track high-value assets or obtain accurate information about the location of an object (for example, in inventory management or monitoring the flow of raw materials).
Wireless Mesh technology is transforming indoor positioning, offering various advantages such as cost-effectiveness, scalability, and reliable data transmission. By utilizing battery-operated location tracking tags and environment sensors, Wireless Mesh enables the collection of real-time data. The technology identifies people and assets with an accuracy of up to 16 ft.
The choice of technology depends both on the company's tasks and on the size of the building, positioning goals, and planned budget.
How does indoor positioning improve business performance and customer experience?
To better understand how indoor positioning can improve the performance of companies, let's review some examples of its implementation in specific industries.
Airports and railway stations
Indoor positioning technologies at train stations and airports are used to improve the experience of visitors and passengers. The system provides passengers with digital maps with points of interest, helps them navigate in real time, and keeps track of schedules and other useful information about the transport hub. In addition, the management gets the opportunity to easily find any assets, as well as collect analytics to improve internal logistics.
The implementation of the indoor positioning system has many advantages, such as:
improving the quality of passenger service;
controlling valuable and important assets;
improving transport hub management processes;
ensuring the safety of passengers and staff.
Shopping centers and retail
Thanks to indoor positioning solutions in malls and stores, you can improve the quality of customer service. The system is used to create convenient mobile apps that allow customers to find products, build routes to places of interest, and receive information about discounts and sales. The latter becomes possible thanks to the geofencing system.
The advantages include:
increasing customer loyalty;
obtaining detailed analytics about the movement and behavior of customers to optimize internal processes;
improving the work of marketing channels, conducting more effective advertising campaigns with targeted offers for buyers;
improving the safety of stores and shopping centers, and faster response to emergencies.
Manufacturing
Indoor positioning in manufacturing is a useful tool for improving business performance. When the system is implemented in the infrastructure of a factory or plant, it's possible to control the location of assets, track the movement of staff, and adjust daily tasks. The advantages of the platform include:
creating a comprehensive picture of each working day;
optimizing resources;
preventing loss and theft of valuable assets;
improving labor safety.
Warehouses
Warehouses often face difficulties in finding products and cargo. The staff usually spends a lot of time on order picking, which negatively affects customer loyalty. Indoor positioning technologies solve the problem. With the system, you can quickly find any products, as well as determine the location of equipment, vehicles, and inventory. The system helps streamline warehouse processes, improve asset security, and provide immediate response to theft or security breaches.
Construction
Indoor positioning solutions in the construction industry simplify work processes and make them safer. Implementing the system allows you to determine the location of equipment on the construction site, prevent unauthorized access to certain areas, and manage staff. If needed, beacons can be used to warn of an emergency and notify people who are closest to the scene.
Healthcare
In healthcare, the system performs several tasks at once, such as searching for medical equipment, tracking wandering patients, and providing staff control. Its benefits include:
improving the quality of patient care;
optimizing tasks and asset management;
improving communication between patients and staff;
reducing the cost of purchasing new equipment (by preventing theft or loss of old equipment).
To sum up, indoor positioning is very versatile. It's suitable for any industry and is a flexible technology that turns ordinary buildings into "smart" buildings. Using a system like this, you can increase business efficiency, improve working conditions and customer service quality, and ensure the dynamic development of any business processes.
