There are various indoor location tracking services that have been introduced to the world in the past year. These technologies have created a lot of change in the way a lot of important tasks are being carried out in various organizations. Location-based services have played a huge part in changing the world. The digital era that we live in is heavily influenced by various gadgets that give us access to these services that make our lives easier. When Global Positioning Systems were introduced to the world, a lot of changes happened. Today, we can get anywhere faster because of the location-based services GPS has enabled. People all around the world use navigation, tracking location sharing, and other such services almost every day. This has changed the definition of maps.

According to Pigeon, based on the report, “the global forecast for indoor location technology which accounted for USD 5.2 billion in 2016 will grow at a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) by 42% and reach USD 40.99 billion by 2022.”

Today, there are a lot of companies that are using indoor location tracking technology to work efficiently. Indoor location tracking technology is a navigation system for people and objects in a large indoor space. It works with an application that can be downloaded on a smartphone by the users to access the location tracking features. 

There are Various Industries that would Benefit from Indoor Location Technology. Here are a few:

1. Theme Parks and Resorts

Theme parks and resorts with huge indoor spaces can be very confusing for visitors, especially those who are visiting for the first time. With the help of Indoor Location tracking, guests can easily know where they are and what is around them. This helps them in planning their trips to avoid stress and save time. This can be accessed with the help of an application that the user can download on their smartphones, where they can access the detailed digital map. 

2. Shopping Mall

There are many large shopping malls around the world with large indoor spaces and complex infrastructure. Location tracking technology can help in improving customer experience and manage space. An indoor positioning system can enable more features. Especially for shopping malls, analytics and location-based marketing can create smart shopping experiences for visitors with highly targeted advertisements and alerts. The shoppers get relevant information about what is easily accessible to them based on their location.  

3. Healthcare

A lot of hospitals have large indoor spaces and complex infrastructures. An Indoor location tracking system can help in carrying out our important tasks easily. Patients can navigate their way to the right rooms for their appointments. They can also see the map of the hospital on the app and see their live location as well. Doctors and other staff in the hospital can find each other using the app, this will help to avoid delays in emergencies. 

4. Higher Education

There are universities around the world that have huge campuses and for the freshers, it can be confusing and stressful to find the right way around. Indoor location tracking technology can help in creating a smart campus experience for students. They can easily send their location to their peers and navigate their way to them. This will help them plan their day and avoid missing classes. These apps can even alert them about events happening around them on campus. Students can be up to date with everything happening around the campus, so they can plan their days. 

5. Convention Centers

These spaces host large-scale events like trade fairs, product launches, exhibitions, etc. These events usually go on for more than a day. With indoor location tracking, it will be easy for the management to guide the visitors in the right direction inside the venue. The visitors can decide where they want to head based on the map and their current location. This will help in making the event experience a pleasant one. 

6. Zoo Parks

Visitors would need a guide to go around the zoo since it’s usually large and has various sections that the visitors want to visit. With Indoor Tracking technology, visitors can know where they are heading and visit every section without getting lost inside. Since a Zoo usually has a lot of kids visiting, an indoor tracking system would make it easier for the parents to keep an eye on their children. Even during emergencies, an alert can be sent to all users and they can be guided to the nearest as soon as possible. 

7. Corporate Offices

Large enterprises have huge corporate campuses with various departments. Indoor tracking technology can make managing the building easier. Especially in these post-pandemic times, where offices are re-opening safely by following the safety procedures. Indoor Tracking can help employees know exactly where they can go without having to physically ask others for directions. They can also book rooms for meetings and check for their availability on the app. An indoor map will make it easier for the employees to know about the resources available around them. Indoor tracking can also help in keeping a check on all the assets and their status. 

8. Transportation Hubs

Large airports, railways, and bus stations are one of the most crowded places, especially in cities. It can be difficult for a lot of people to find their way through such indoor spaces. People can use the indoor map to know their way around and know where they are. Overcrowding can be avoided by guiding people to less crowded ways. This will help in managing the foot traffic around a busy airport/railway station. Transportation hubs can create a smart travel experience with the help of Indoor navigation. 

How to Pick The Right Indoor Position System for Tracking Solutions

There are various types of indoor positioning systems in the market. To choose the right one, it is important to know what you should expect from it. Based on your purpose, you can look at various indoor positioning systems that use different technology to do the work. 

1. Accuracy

The first thing you must look into is the level of accuracy you need from the positioning system. That wholly depends on what kind of result you are expecting from the system. In larger spaces, accuracy would be a challenge so you will have to go for a system that depends on hardware, a lot of planning will be required for the setting up of the system. You will also have to keep in mind the various barriers like doors, walls, shelves, etc, that can block out signals and restrict accuracy.

2. Cost

If you are planning to create a budget to buy an indoor positioning system, you must know these three basic things you will have to spend money on. Installations, Tag costs, and access points. Installations depend on the type of technology you opt for. You will need to set up beacons for a BLE system, or Wifi receptors for A Wi-Fi-based system. You will also have to strategically plan your setup in the indoor space so that the hardware installations can work properly and give accurate results. 

3. Maintenance

If your Indoor space is huge, and you are installing a hardware-based indoor positioning system then you will need to spend money on regular maintenance of the installations. Beacon-based systems need regular checkups since they are battery-based. There are options for choosing a hardware-free indoor positioning system that does not require any Bluetooth beacon or Wi-Fi installations.

Conclusion

There are many basic technologies available right now such as BLE, Wi-Fi,  RFID, and many others. The market for indoor intelligence solutions is growing day by day because of its vast benefits that can take a business to the next level. Various developments are happening in these technologies that are making them more advanced.

One of the latest developments in Indoor positioning technology today based on MarketsandMarkets states, “In March 2020, Mist Systems, a Juniper Networks company and a pioneer in secure Artificial Intelligence (AI)-driven networks launched a new service named Mist Premium Analytics that would offer enterprises a comprehensive network visibility and business insights platform to support the increasing demands of digital transformation projects.”

 In the coming future, we will see Indoor location solutions become as important as Global Positioning Systems in every industry. These systems rely on hardware appliances that need timely maintenance but Mapsted’s advanced indoor location-based solutions are completely hardware-free. They have one of the world’s leading technologies. They offer end-to-end indoor intelligence solutions for various industries like healthcare, higher education, resorts, shopping malls, and many others.