We are accustomed to using web and mobile applications with embedded mapping features to either locate a person, position a vehicle, or show us directions. Most of the time, those applications rely on popular mapping solutions such as Google Maps or Apple Maps to display cartographic content. While those platforms provide an excellent user experience, they also have some deep limitations – especially when it comes to indoor capabilities.
Popular outdoor mapping apps have been primarily designed to fulfill outdoor consumer needs. They are intended to manage public data whether static such as roads and points-of-interests (POIs), or dynamic information such as the traffic condition. Even if they perform very well in those fields, several distinct applications are still needed depending on the usage context. There is definitely no one-size-fits-all app in the mapping business. While outdoor maps are built by using satellite imagery and fully-equipped cars driving through every road, building maps should use architect floor plans as primary data. This is why, when it comes to private indoor business needs companies are looking for dedicated mapping tools such as ServiceNow® Workplace Indoor Mapping.
Mapping VS Positioning
We usually mix mapping and positioning technologies because they are often used together in the same application. However, most of the time, those technologies are not created and managed by the same companies. For example, the GPS providing outdoor positioning is operated by NASA and Galileo by the ESA. Their signals can be picked up by any device and the ‘‘blue dot’’ is displayed on any outdoor map.
Indoor positioning can be a very complex matter since common outdoor technologies don't work inside buildings. GPS waves are unable to properly reach receivers because of walls and roofs resulting in an important loss of accuracy that can reach far distances. Moreover, the GPS is unable to figure out which floor the receiver is located on, in addition to no signal being received underground.
Indoors, since the GPS is not an efficient option, lots of technologies (Beacons, Wi-Fi, Li-Fi, etc.) are competing for business while none are able to prevail in every context. Although GPS has become the standard for outdoor mapping, the same has not happened for indoor solutions. Instead, there are a number of proprietary solutions available. The right one for your building, set of buildings, or even campus will depend on the use case, if any.
Positioning solutions for buildings can be complicated and expensive to deploy. Most solutions require installation of network of devices that must be configured to provide the user with information on their location and their movements. The layout of your facility, building materials used, number of visitors and traffic patterns must all be considered in order to create a customized solution specifically for your site. In simpler spaces with more obvious visual clues, it is challenging to justify the additional cost required to provide site visitors with a moving blue dot on a map. Therefore, the main question you should be asking yourselves is: Do we really need indoor positioning?
