How to build indoor GPS?
Radio signal from GPS/GLONASS/Galileo/Beidou satellites is too weak to penetrate through walls. Thus, we can’t have regular GPS indoor.
Therefore, one needs to build an Indoor “GPS” – a local indoor positioning system:
- RTLS – real-time locating system
- LPS – local positioning system
- IPS – indoor positioning system
- INS – indoor navigation system
- Indoor “GPS”
Effectively, all acronyms above is the same thing, but with different names and slightly different meanings:
- RTLS and LPS are not necessarily indoor. For example, GPS is also an RTLS. But, typically, by RTLS means non-global and non-satellite based systems
- IPS provides positioning, but not necessarily navigation, i.e. it is good for tracking something or somebody
- INS has to provide positioning in order to provide navigation. However, in practice INS and IPS are very often used interchangeably for defining all sorts of non-GNSS based systems
By the way, GNSS stands for Global Navigation. Satellite System. GPS, GLONASS, Galileo, Beidou are GNSS systems.
Key elements of any Indoor "GPS"
- Mobile beacons, often called tags, placed on or attached to your mobile objects (vehicles, robots, drones, people)
- Stationary beacons, often call anchors. These are your “GPS satellites” – points the mobile beacons calculate their position
- “Ground station” – something that controls the system, collects the location data from beacons and communicates with external world
Types of Indoor "GPS"
There are many different types of Indoor “GPS” possible. See a detailed review and comparison below:
- Indoor positioning and navigation – a review and comparison of industrial indoor positioning technologies and methods
- Indoor navigation & positioning (YouTube help video) – steps we do together with customers from the start till the full implementation
Very quick advice on Indoor “GPS” technology and solution selection:
- Industrial people tracking: UWB, Marvelmind
- Industrial vehicles/forklift tracking: UWB, Marvelmind
- Autonomous robotics: Marvelmind, optical (QR, Intel RealSense & alike)
- Autonomous drones: Marvelmind, optical (QR, Intel RealSense)
- Cranes: Marvelmind, mm-wave radio
- Sports: UWB + sensor fusion, optical
- Museums, airports, shopping for people: BLE
- Industrial with very low requirements to accuracy: BLE