Indoor positioning systems are playing an increasingly central role in many organizational settings, precisely because of their ability to precisely track the location of individuals and assets in enclosed spaces. The ability to accurately determine position within complex buildings is an intrinsic feature of this technology, which has proven capable of unlocking significant opportunities for process optimization, such as customer satisfaction, employee safety, and business process monitoring. Where GPS is inadequate for providing reliable indoor location information, indoor positioning systems come to the rescue, leveraging various localization methods. The versatility of these solutions allows for the development of Internet of Things systems capable of enabling advanced applications in contexts such as transportation, retail, healthcare, manufacturing, and logistics centers.
Indoor positioning systems: what is they?
The indoor positioning system is a system that allows for location detection within buildings, where GPS is inefficient. The indoor positioning system, also known as IPS (Indoor Positioning System), is necessary for tracking objects and devices indoors, as the Global Positioning System is inaccurate indoors due to satellite signal interference.
The indoor positioning system therefore overcomes the limitations of GPS by operating indoors, where satellite navigation does not function efficiently. It relies on the use of beacons or tags that send signals to readers located inside buildings. These readers collect the information transmitted by the beacons and forward it to a central server. The server processes the received data and accurately determines the position coordinates, providing them to mobile systems or computers through appropriate interfaces.
The indoor positioning system thus allows for the precise location of subjects and objects indoors, enabling multiple automation and optimization scenarios.
Indoor Location: What Technologies Are Used?
The indoor positioning system uses various technologies to ensure precise localization within buildings, requiring the creation and design of efficient and secure IoT infrastructures. One of the most widespread solutions is Bluetooth Low Energy. This technology uses emitting devices called beacons, especially iBeacons. These are Bluetooth low-energy devices capable of sending advertising packets containing their identifier at regular intervals, typically within seconds.
Beacons are installed within buildings and broadcast their signals. Mobile devices equipped with Bluetooth receivers, such as smartphones and tablets, can detect these signals and determine their distance from the beacons by measuring signal strength. Using appropriate algorithms, it is possible to estimate the location with a margin of error of approximately 2-5 meters, a precision considered adequate in many contexts.
Another widely used technology is Wi-Fi.
In this case, information obtained from the signals emitted by access points of wireless networks present in buildings is used. By combining parameters such as signal strength, BSSID identifiers, and propagation delay, it is possible to locate the mobile device receiving Wi-Fi signals with good accuracy, generally within 3-5 meters.
Ultra-Wide Band is particularly effective, thanks to its high bandwidth, achieving millimeter-level accuracy, even down to a few centimeters. This is achieved by leveraging UWB technology’s ability to accurately discriminate time delays in received signals. This solution is typically adopted where extremely precise tracking of objects and corporate assets is required.
Indoor Location Systems: Applications in Various Sectors
Indoor positioning systems find application in a variety of sectors, enabling the creation and design of innovative IoT systems within them. Thanks to indoor localization technologies, it is easy to precisely determine the position of objects, assets, and people within even very large and complex buildings. This indoor tracking capability can be leveraged in contexts such as mobility infrastructures, shopping centers, production sites, healthcare facilities, and logistics and distribution environments, enabling new business scenarios in each specific case.
Through the targeted use of indoor positioning systems, various organizations are now able to optimize numerous aspects of their operations, such as services, performance, flows, safety, and experiences.
The main applications of indoor positioning systems in various sectors are:
1. In large mobility infrastructures such as airports and train stations, indoor positioning systems significantly improve the end-user experience during transit. Passengers can visually locate indoor points of interest with precision and are guided via digital maps to their destinations as quickly as possible. Another benefit is the optimal management of people flows by operators.
2. In retail, advanced indoor localization solutions allow customers to both perform targeted product searches and be guided step-by-step through the store. Store managers can also monitor performance levels and adopt the best strategies to increase customer satisfaction.
3. Within the complex structures of shopping centers, geolocalized applications effectively help users navigate and easily reach their desired destinations. For managers, advanced IoT systems enable sophisticated customer behavior analysis and increasingly effective promotional activities.
4. In industry, indoor localization helps improve safety standards while optimizing operation times and costs, for example through real-time tracking of forklifts, AGVs, and other assets.
5.In the healthcare sector, indoor positioning is crucial to successfully guiding both patients and staff within the complex layouts of hospitals and medical centers.
6. In warehouses and logistics centers, the localization of goods and real-time management of personnel through advanced IoT systems allows for a significant leap in quality in terms of inventory control, waste reduction, and security issues.
In all these contexts, the indoor positioning system enables the creation and design of innovative IoT systems, capable of optimizing various aspects of organizations and improving user experience.
