Indoor positioning without wifi or GPS via magnetic fields for location-based apps

By tapping into the magnetic fields that are naturally present on Earth, IndoorAtlas has launched a platform that can create highly accurate location-based mobile apps without wifi or GPS.

Location-based apps for indoor purposes typically rely on wifi or similar technologies to determine the user’s position. Finnish IndoorAtlas, however, has come up with an alternative. Tapping into the magnetic fields that are naturally present on Earth, IndoorAtlas has launched a platform developers can use to create highly accurate location-based mobile apps without wifi or GPS. IndoorAtlas’s location technology works independently of any external infrastructures such as wireless access points, and no hardware installation is needed, the company says. Instead, it relies on disturbances in the Earth’s magnetic fields created by a building’s internal structures. To create a location-based app using IndoorAtlas’ indoor positioning, developers begin by uploading floor plans to the IndoorAtlas’ Floor Plans software, which aims to make it easy to align a building’s floor plan with the geographic coordinate system. Next, they use the IndoorAtlas Map Creator for Android to create magnetic maps for the building; using the app, developers can map part of a floor, the complete floor or even multiple floors simply by walking a planned path through the area being mapped. Finally, developers can create location-aware applications using the IndoorAtlas Maps API. Targeting developers of apps for store promotions, mobile gaming, logistics efficiency “or just finding one’s way around” inside shopping centers, airport terminals and similar venues, IndoorAtlas currently seeks developers around the world who are interested in mapping buildings, supplying floor plans or evaluating its software in exchange for early access to IndoorAtlas’s location technology. App-minded entrepreneurs: one to get in on early? Spotted by: Hemanth Chandrasekar