How does indoor GPS work?
I'm wondering how does indoor GPS work? I'm reading the news that Apple has taken over the control of WiFiSLAM - a startup that offered GPS inside the buildings using only Wi-Fi signals available inside buildings. So it's obvious that Apple's next iPhone will offer navigation inside buildings and malls. Now it's no wonder that the GPS signal becomes very weak after penetrating through the concrete and most of the times, it's impossible to get GPS satellite to hook on to your smartphone or tablet inside buildings. If I'm not mistaken, the GPS signal is basically a 50w signal that has to travel about 20200 Km before reaching to your cellphone. Now when you're inside tall buildings, the signal can't penetrate the concrete which results into the failure of the global positioning system.
After searching on Google, I found out that the indoor GPS system is actually called as IPS aka Indoor Positioning System and it seems to use some different technique. The IPS uses wireless hotspots and the relative signal strength at various locations inside buildings to form a plot of the floor. In fact, Google Maps (Android App) began offering similar feature several months ago - allowing people to see the indoor floor plans at shopping malls and big restaurants. Chip giant, Broadcom has launched chip BCM4752 that supports indoor GPS with wireless, bluetooth and NFC; and I believe has already found a way inside smartphones and tablets.
Google's using wi-fi hotspots to create indoor maps while Nokia, which developed even higher precision maps used bluetooth to do the same. But the fact is that none of these solutions are accurate. The chips are synched with other sensors inside the smartphone - viz. accelerometer and gyroscope which can track the distance you traveled inside the building, the turns you took and the relative wireless strength you have in all the location to create indoor map of the floor.
I really wonder how do these systems work? If anyone's got more insight into the working of IPS aka indoor GPS, please enlighten all of us. I believe IPS holds a lot of potential (much more than what you can have with GPS). Anyway, the next iPhone is going to bring it for sure.
After searching on Google, I found out that the indoor GPS system is actually called as IPS aka Indoor Positioning System and it seems to use some different technique. The IPS uses wireless hotspots and the relative signal strength at various locations inside buildings to form a plot of the floor. In fact, Google Maps (Android App) began offering similar feature several months ago - allowing people to see the indoor floor plans at shopping malls and big restaurants. Chip giant, Broadcom has launched chip BCM4752 that supports indoor GPS with wireless, bluetooth and NFC; and I believe has already found a way inside smartphones and tablets.
Google's using wi-fi hotspots to create indoor maps while Nokia, which developed even higher precision maps used bluetooth to do the same. But the fact is that none of these solutions are accurate. The chips are synched with other sensors inside the smartphone - viz. accelerometer and gyroscope which can track the distance you traveled inside the building, the turns you took and the relative wireless strength you have in all the location to create indoor map of the floor.
I really wonder how do these systems work? If anyone's got more insight into the working of IPS aka indoor GPS, please enlighten all of us. I believe IPS holds a lot of potential (much more than what you can have with GPS). Anyway, the next iPhone is going to bring it for sure.
Replies
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Kaustubh KatdareNo takers for this discussion? -
Harshad ItaliyaAs they are planning to use WiFi I think they will decide the route based on the strength signal received. And if they are using multi-transmitter then and then this can be possible.
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superfanThis is a topic I've been seeing the news quite frequently lately. From what I've seen, many established companies and startups are trying out different approaches to the problem.
Companies like Google, Nokia, etc. are working on triangulation based approaches with different signals (like Wi-Fi, cell phone signals, etc.). Many startups are also trying variations of this.
There are a few startups like Navisen and Indoor Atlas which have taken a slightly different approach. Navisen uses the Dead Reckoning to track people whereas Indoor Atlas relies on the magnetometer. Navisen's approach does not need any other signals to calculate the position, whereas Indoor Atlas' approach requires a map of the magnetic field inside the building to be uploaded to their servers first.
This is what I could gather from a few articles on the Internet. If there is someone more knowledgeable on this, knowing from them would be of great help.
Thanks. -
Anand Tamariya
accelerometer and gyroscope which can track the distance you traveled inside the building, the turns you took
That's pretty much there is to it. -
Alienatordo we really need an indoor GPS??i mean where exactly do we find its application?
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Anand Tamariya
In large museums and malls so that people don't lose their way.Alienatordo we really need an indoor GPS??i mean where exactly do we find its application? -
aakash.kaasinaIs it possible to design an INDOOR POSITIONING SYSTEM a.k.a IPS as a project in B.tech...or is it too complicated for b.tech level graduates.
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Anand Tamariya
Should be pretty easy if you can dig out the API for accelerometer reading in your phone.aakash.kaasinaIs it possible to design an INDOOR POSITIONING SYSTEM a.k.a IPS as a project in B.tech...or is it too complicated for b.tech level graduates. -
Ichigo
GPS use a triangulation system based on the time it takes signal to arrive to determine distance. More satelites signals at same time means more precision in position. We could use this technique with wifi, Bluetooth, or others transceivers.aakash.kaasinaIs it possible to design an INDOOR POSITIONING SYSTEM a.k.a IPS as a project in B.tech...or is it too complicated for b.tech level graduates.
Google: ENHANCED RSSI-BASED HIGH ACCURACY REAL-TIME USER LOCATION TRACKING SYSTEM FOR INDOOR AND OUTDOOR ENVIRONMENTS
it's an old project I found googling 😉
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