Most of us have felt the awkward feeling that comes from entering a large building and not knowing how to get where we want to go because we don’t have clear indications on how to get there. A feeling that worsens if we are already late to our doctor’s appointment, boarding gate or the meeting room where we have an appointment with an important client. In Situm we have developed an indoor navigation solution with high precision and minimal infrastructure, easy to implement and integrate into any corporate app, that sets a real difference in the client experience.
On large and complex buildings like airports, fairgrounds, hotels, office buildings, hospitals or malls, improving users’ experience by facilitating their orientation through the spaces in which they transit is essential. Their managers would have to decide between different options when addressing the problem:
- Through traditional signage, which loses effectiveness if too many indicators are needed, and is not very versatile if the use of the spaces is variable, e.g., to indicate spaces where events are held.
- Integrating a map into an app to visualise the route to a destination, which is not very useful if it does not automatically detect the user’s location, since they do not usually know what part of the building they are in.
- Through a guiding app based on an automatic user location system whose greatest handicap is to overcome the barrier of not being able to use GPS indoors, because it does not work. This option is often difficult and expensive to install and maintain because of the need to use complex hardware.
Our indoor wayfinding solutions overcome these barriers by providing answers to the main challenges:
- A core technology for robust and reliable indoor positioning with high precision, minimal infrastructure and fast deployment.
- The tools to integrate indoor navigation functionality on an app quickly and simply.
- A dashboard to flexibly manage cartography, points of interest and routes according to the building manager’s needs.
1. A technology to position indoors with the highest precision and minimal infrastructure
Situm’s wayfinding solution is characterized for its easy implantation and because it does not require complex installations or large investments and it is done in record time. The key is a technology that overcomes the absence of GPS signals inside buildings by taking advantage of the WiFi and Bluetooth infrastructure already present in them. Situm’s algorithm combines this data with the one provided by the inertial sensors of the mobile phone. The system locates the smartphone with an average 5 metres precision, more than enough to guide the user through the building.
2. Tools to facilitate the work of app developers
Beside our indoor location technology, we supply developers with the necessary resources to easily integrate the guiding system on an app:
- Software Development Kits (SDKs) for iOS, Android and Cordova for a fully customized solution.
- Situm WYF Module, to avoid programming and easily integrate the guiding functionality.
- Manuals
- Code Examples
- Support in all stages of the process, from planning to implementation and maintenance.
3. Useful for visitors and facility managers: geoanalytics
Besides advantages for the visitor, our geolocation system allows to improve service delivery based on all the information collected during their stay. Because every client leaves a distinct footprint of their activity from the moment they enter the premises. Their routes are recorded at all times, even on areas without coverage. This way, the manager gets valuable information from the analytics that Situm Dashboard provides in regards to the use of the space.
- Heatmaps to visualise the amount of visitors per area.
- Graphs on the number of visitors per day.
- Duration of visits.
4. Versatility for geomarketing
Situm’s SDKs allow the integrators that manage a geomarketing platform to detect the entry and exit of a user in an area. Once this entry is detected, you can set up a promotional or informative notification for the user.
On the other hand, the tool to create events also allows the manager to activate notifications on the visitor’s mobile phone according to their location thanks to our geofencing tools. Situm’s polygonal geofencing tool allows the accurate delimitation of areas inside a building. This technique favors more complete analytics and the deployment of more precise geomarketing promotions.
In summary, these are only a few of the highlights of Situm’s indoor navigation system. Our experience in the deployment of our solution in hospitals, airports, malls, corporate offices and fairgrounds allows us to anticipate needs and problems that may arise during the deployment of a wayfinding solution. If you want us to take a look at your case or apply for a free demo, do not hesitate to contact our team.