Wayfinding Smartphones #
Situm is compatible with all device models. The only difference is that the experience will be better on devices with the sensors we recommend in the previous section.
Tracking Smartphones #
Situm is compatible with all Android devices models, but for tracking use cases, whether in the industrial or security field, it is recommended that the devices meet the following requirements:
- Sensors: must have WiFi, BLE, gyroscope, accelerometer and compass.
- Battery > 5000mAh. Phones normally have to withstand long periods of time without being connected to the mains supply.
- In the case of industrial use, it is recommended that they are rugged telephones adapted for industrial environments.
You may check the phone features in Kimovil or GSM Arena. Please double check with the provider before buying them.
If your are unsure about whether a phone is compatible with Situm, please contact us at support@situm.com.
How can you carry a smartphone? #
Situm’s location technology is designed to locate people walking with their mobiles in their hands. However, unlike other indoor positioning technologies, it is also able to operate robustly in the pocket, on a vehicle, etc.
Walking with the phone in the hand #
This is the default and preferred mode of operation for wayfinding. As shown in the following figure, the user carries the smartphone in his hand, with the screen turned on and facing upwards. The smartphone is facing in the user’s walking direction.
Results are optimal in this situation, usually achieving average accuracies of 1-3 meters. Unlike other location technologies, Situm is also robust against the following user actions:
- While standing still, the user is talking on the phone, typing, swinging the smartphone, etc. Situm is specifically built to detect those situations and distinguish them from the real user movement, enhancing accuracy and robustness.
- Wayfinding while the user moves the phone and changes its position and orientation. As long as the user keeps walking, Situm will be able to correct the deviations introduced by those actions. Sometimes, these actions may result in a momentary accuracy loss (5-20 seconds).
On smartphones that have a magnetometer sensor, it is important to take into account that Situm can not operate correctly if the user walks around with the phone in horizontal orientation (see next figure). In this case, the smartphone’s orientation with respect to the North does not match the user’s orientation, reducing the accuracy of the positioning estimate. If the smartphone does not have a magnetometer, this issue does not exist.
Walking with the phone in the pocket/backpack #
Situm also works perfectly when the smartphone is not in the hand of the user, but in her pocket/backpack/belt. In this case, the accuracy is 1-5 meters on average. This is a bit less than in the ideal case (smartphone in the users’ hand), but nevertheless more than enough to enable tracking use cases: real-time workforce monitoring, heatmaps, etc.
Vehicle tracking #
Situm is also able to track vehicles both indoors and outdoors. The average accuracy is usually 5-15 meters and the typical use case is forklift / AGV tracking in warehouses or industrial plants.
Smartphone cases #
Smartphone cases are typically used in tracking use cases (e.g. security staff positioning). If you want to use them, please pay attention to the following considerations:
- We advise against the use of smartphone metallic protective covers since they alter the sensor measurements of the device and favor internal heating.
- In order to avoid overheating, we strongly recommend using a belt case to carry the smartphone.
- The belt case must be a little bigger than the smartphone.
- For correct use, the screen of the smartphone should be oriented towards your body. The top part of the smartphone must be in the top part of the case.