Geomagnetic mapping: the future of indoor navigation

The technology allows users to easily navigate any indoor space using their phone

Spotted: We have all probably experienced the confusion of trying to navigate an unfamiliar shopping centre or industrial complex, knowing that our destination is somewhere close but being unable to find our way with conventional navigation apps. This is because the location technology we use outside – GPS – is much less effective indoors, and is unable to pinpoint locations as accurately as is needed in those moments. 

This is where Oriient comes in, with its new geomagnetic method of navigating individuals to within 1 metre of their desired destination. Geomagnetic navigation has been used for hundreds of years, namely in compasses, but magnetic sensors also exist in smartphones and Oriient is making use of this tech to help the 21^st century shopper.  

The system requires no hardware installation, with an Oriient employee simply needing to walk through a building to “map” it with an ordinary smartphone. This unique magnetic store map is then uploaded to the Oriient cloud platform, which can be easily integrated into an existing store or site app. Once it’s up and running, the system uses magnets already in a customer or visitor’s smartphone to accurately map the location of a device within a space, allowing them to navigate with ease and access recommended routes depending on their shopping list. 

Beyond acting as a navigation aid for staff and visitors, Oriient’s solution also provides building owners with valuable traffic flow data. Without revealing a user’s identity, the technology can help managers track customer journeys throughout a store meaning they can optimise floor layout and display targeted digital ads to customers at optimal points within a shop. 

The growth of e-commerce is putting increasing pressure on brick-and-mortar shops, but innovators are working to make in-person retail more appealing and sustainable, through the use of product carbon labels and an app that prevents supermarket food waste by giving customers a discount. 

Written By: Archie Cox