Indoor Positioning and Indoor Navigation Use Cases

“Have you ever lost your way inside complex spaces such as a hospital, airport, or a multi-story building due to GPS? While GPS works wonders for outdoor spaces, it fails miserably for indoor spaces. It can’t work through the thick walls and ceilings of buildings. So, how do we navigate through these complex spaces? An indoor positioning system and indoor navigation system can solve your worries as they are specially crafted for indoor navigation. Instead of using satellites, it uses signals from a building’s existing Wi-Fi network or small, low-energy Bluetooth devices to pinpoint your precise location. It gives you simple, turn-by-turn directions on a map via the indoor navigation system, guiding you step-by-step to your destination. Let’s see how this technology is transforming various industries!”

Have you ever been lost in the complex indoor spaces and ever felt the confusion and panic to find the way out? Though technologies like GPS have made our lives easier, however, even those devices can go clueless in indoor spaces. Why? The answer is simple. A GPS signal cannot penetrate the thick walls of indoor spaces. That’s why while outdoors, we become navigation-savvy machines with the help of GPS, in complex indoor spaces, we become quite miserable. Yes, the moment we step through a doorway, we are cast back into a pre-digital age.
However, modern advanced technologies such as the Indoor Positioning System—an effective indoor positioning system—have made it easy for us. They are capable of precise location tracking and smooth navigation within enclosed spaces. Many industries are transforming and enhancing their indoor navigation system experience with Indoor Positioning and Indoor Navigation System!

What is Indoor Positioning and Navigation?

As India is developing, urbanizing and upgrading its existing infrastructure, it is including the use of advanced technologies across various sectors. These technologies are improving efficiency, safety, and user experience. Unlike GPS, which struggles indoors due to signal loss, the Indoor Positioning System (this indoor positioning system) uses technologies such as BLE, Wi-Fi, Ultra-Wideband, and RFID to pinpoint locations inside buildings. This means these systems provide real-time tracking of people, assets, and workflows. Also, they provide navigation turn-by-turn guidance through mobile apps, kiosks, or augmented reality overlays enabled by the indoor navigation system.

Use Cases

Healthcare
The endless corridors and departments in a hospital can be so confusing to navigate, especially when you are visiting a hospital for the first time. That’s the reason why the numbers of visitors and patients get anxious and tired, making their way through these complex spaces. With indoor positioning, their smartphone becomes a digital guide for them. This means they can see turn-by-turn directions, reroute instantly if they miss a turn, and get alerts to amenities such as the nearest elevator. This way, the indoor navigation becomes easier for them.
Even for hospital staff, the system is super efficient. They can track the location of equipment. In emergencies, these systems can guide doctors and nurses directly to patients, which helps administrators streamline workflows and reduce wasted time.Learn more about how indoor navigation systems help hospitals in this detailed guide

Real Use Cases
Apollo Hospitals Network, Tata Memorial Centre (Mumbai)

Smart Campuses and Corporate Offices
Usually, college campuses are never easy for anyone, same goes for office spaces. New students or new hires remain confused and frustrated than ever if buildings are too complex to navigate. Smart Indoor navigation system makes sure that new hires and visitors are greeted not with this commotion.
In smart campuses and office spaces, these systems can be accessed through phones. Hence, your phone can guide you from the main gate to the right building, up to the correct floor, and straight to their meeting room, no wrong turns, no frantic calls for help. Easy, isn’t it?
Desk booking systems show real-time availability, and emergency drills are executed with precision, as evacuation routes adapt to blocked passages in real time. Also, you can use the occupancy data to optimize space, cut costs, and create an environment where productivity flourishes and stress melts away.

Real Use Cases
IIT Bombay, Infosys Bengaluru Campus

Manufacturing and Warehousing
Traditional manufacturing plants and warehouses always stay like a maze for everyone. Here, the operations become slower and navigation feels like a never-ending process. Modern manufacturing and warehousing setups use advanced tech, not only for people but for each machine and part. Each can be tracked in real time by ultra-wideband sensors. Forklifts glide along optimal routes, avoiding collisions and delays—thanks to the indoor positioning system. No single part ever gets lost, and critical tools are always within your access. When a safety breach occurs, the system is capable of sending you instant alerts, and you will know exactly where to intervene. Here, production lines rarely stop, and your workforce stays safe.

Real Use Cases
Mahindra and Mahindra Automotive Plants, Flipkart Fulfillment Centres

Retail and Shopping Malls
Shopping malls are huge, and we are bound to wander aimlessly just to find our desired store. But ever since big shopping malls have installed these smart navigation systems, shoppers no longer wander aimlessly. Their phones can be morphed into personal shopping assistants, mapping the quickest path to their favourite store.
Also, you can receive alerts if there is a special sale going on at their store or any store they pass. It can even guide them to the nearest restroom or exit. Retailers can also use Indoor Positioning and Indoor Navigation System to identify or go through footfall analytics to optimize store placement.

Real Use Cases
Phoenix Marketcity (Mumbai), DLF Mall of India (Noida)

Airports and Transportation Hubs
Indian airports receive so many visitors in a day. Airport is a place of chaotic crowds, families with luggage, business travellers racing against the clock, and first-time flyers overwhelmed by the enormity of it all. Indoor navigation—powered by the indoor navigation system—can transform the whole experience and can turn this chaos into a smooth experience. Through these advanced systems, passengers receive real-time updates about their navigation. If someone has reduced mobility, these indoor positioning and indoor navigation systems are capable of guiding them to accessible paths. Also, digital signboards and AR overlays help non-English speakers find their way.

Real Use Cases
Kepegowda International Airport (Bengaluru), Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC)

Public Safety and Emergency Response
Emergency responses should be quicker because when a disaster strikes, it’s all that matters most. Indoor positioning becomes a saviour when it comes to such things. Whether there is a fire in a high-rise or a medical emergency in a crowded station, indoor positioning can help you greatly.
It can help firefighters track each other’s locations through thick smoke, and can ensure no one is left behind. Evacuation apps can guide panicked crowds to the safest exits. These systems mean faster rescues, fewer casualties, and new possibilities of data-driven emergency response.

Real Use Cases
Mumbai Fire Brigade, Indian Railways

Let’s Transform Indoor Spaces!
Indoor positioning and navigation are transforming our daily life and our most complex spaces. From hospitals that save lives more efficiently to malls, factories to warehouses, these systems—with this indoor positioning system and indoor navigation system—are making our spaces smarter, safer, and more navigable.

FAQ’s