While monitoring the indoor movement of people, equipment, and products in real-time has already been a key competency in many sectors such as manufacturing, logistics, retail, and healthcare, even before the COVID-19 pandemic, the crisis has further escalated its significance now. Today, it is imperative for organizations to monitor the contact between their employees and record the movements in real-time to curb the spread of the coronavirus. Indoor positioning systems (IPS) also have a wide range of applications including, dynamic indoor navigation, location-based communication, improvement of work efficiency, and much more.
In that regard, IPS technologies enable several location-based indoor tracking solutions like real-time location systems (RTLS), wayfinding, inventory management, and first responder location systems. However, there is not a one-size-fits-all technology in the sector. The ideal technology is, thus, the one that provides the required location accuracy in an affordable budget in the shortest time possible. While choosing the right technology is important, the success of an IPS solution invariably lies in the software, which reads data from multiple sensors and devices and passes it through a cascade of algorithms and transformations to detect the position of employees, customers, and goods.
The prominent IPS technologies in use today are bluetooth low energy (BLE) beacons, ultra-wideband (UWB), radio frequency identification tags (RFID), and augmented reality (AR) – based navigation. BLE beacons are extremely cost-effective and power-efficient and don’t require much maintenance. BLE 5.1 beacons can provide one to ten centimeters of accuracy with minimal lag. On the other hand, with its precise locating abilities, UWB can dial into locating objects within one centimeter. Notably, it is also considered as the future of IPS. Meanwhile, indoor navigation utilizing AR is enhancing and personalizing the customer experience in the retail sector and can revolutionize it in the coming years.
At this juncture, there is a variety of indoor positioning solution providers available in the market that cater to the different needs of the organizations and enterprises. To help them choose the solution provider that best fits their requirement, CIO Applications has compiled a list of the top 10 indoor positioning solution providers. The enlisted solution providers are the frontrunners in the market that provide a wide span of features. Besides, the magazine also comprises insights from thought leaders in the sector on the industry trends, best practices, recent innovations, and their advice for the aspiring CIOs.
We present to you CIO Applications’, “Top 10 Indoor Positioning Solution Providers – 2020.”