Indoor positioning systems (IPS) are becoming essential in many use cases in many industries, from logistics to asset tracking and security and safety. The Combain Manual Indoor Positioning solution is an efficient, reliable, and flexible option. It provides accurate location-based services in buildings with weak or unavailable GNSS signals. Utilizing existing Bluetooth beacons and WiFi access points simplifies deployment and eliminates the need for new infrastructure; add when signals are weak or beacon density is low. This makes it practical and accessible for organizations of all sizes.
How it works
Combain Manual Indoor Positioning uses sophisticated algorithms, hardware data inputs, and a powerful online portal to deliver precise location services. The system setup process involves uploading floor plans, defining building structures, and positioning beacons with pinpoint accuracy in 3D. By analyzing beacon and WiFi access point locations, Combain’s algorithms generate a detailed radio environment model (REM) of the building, floors, and rooms, which is the backbone for accurate indoor positioning.
Once configured, devices such as trackers or smartphones gather MAC addresses and detailed signal strengths in their current location and send them directly or via a customer server to the Combain Location API for position resolving.
The platform provides visualizations for further fine-tuning of the system, highlighting areas where additional WiFi access points, BLE beacons, or adjustments may enhance the system’s overall performance.
Combain offers an optional onPrem Location Server for organizations with stringent data privacy requirements. This allows businesses to keep all indoor positioning data on their servers, ensuring complete control and maximum security.
What Data It Provides
Combain Manual Indoor provides accurate location data, including real-time device positions within indoor environments. The Combain Location API delivers the location as the building, floor, and room, as defined in the building model, along with longitude and latitude coordinates.
How to access
Developers access Combain Manual Indoor positioning through the standard Combain Location API to integrate indoor positioning data into their applications and systems. Read more about the Location API here.
The system’s online portal lets you set up and configure your sites. Administrators set up buildings, define floors, upload and manage floor plans, and position beacons. The platform supports bulk uploads of beacon IDs and locations, streamlining the setup process for large-scale deployments.
The optional On-Prem Location Server offers local hosting capabilities for organizations requiring complete privacy. This ensures that all data processing and storage occur within the organization’s network, maintaining strict control over sensitive information.
What You Can Do with Combain Manual Indoor Positioning
Combain Manual Indoor Positioning enables a wide array of applications across industries. Organizations can, for instance:
- Track Assets: Locate and monitor equipment, tools, and inventory in real time, reducing downtime and improving operational efficiency.
- Enhance Customer Experiences: Power indoor navigation for visitors, helping them find specific locations such as stores, offices, or amenities within large complexes like shopping malls or airports.
- Analyze Movement Patterns: Gather insights on traffic flow to optimize layouts, improve signage, and enhance overall building usability.
- Improve Safety: Enable location-based emergency response systems, such as finding individuals using panic buttons or wearable trackers in distress situations.
- Optimize Facility Management: Use data analytics to effectively manage building occupancy and energy usage.
Many of these solutions are available from our customers and partners, such as Traxmate, which provides tracking and alert systems and development tools for tailored location-aware systems.
Benefits for Developers and Organizations
For developers, Combain Manual Indoor offers a robust platform with easy API integration, detailed documentation, and tools to simplify deployment. The system’s flexibility ensures it can adapt to various applications, whether enhancing an existing app or powering a standalone solution.
For user organizations, the benefits are significant:
- Cost Efficiency: Using existing Bluetooth and WiFi infrastructure and only complementing where needed, reducing setup costs.
- Flexibility: The platform is scalable, supporting everything from small offices to extensive industrial facilities.
- No HW lock-in: You may choose any device brand that provides the necessary data. Please get in touch with us to discuss the options and our recommendations.
- Privacy and Security: Combain protects your data. For full customer control, Combain offers the On-Prem Location Server, which allows organizations to host all data locally, ensuring compliance with strict privacy regulations.
- Improved Decision-Making: Access to actionable insights helps businesses optimize operations, enhance user satisfaction, and address safety concerns.
Use Cases and Implementation Examples
Use Case 1: Hospital Safety and Efficiency
Time is often a critical factor in hospitals. By implementing Combain Manual Indoor Positioning, administrators can track the real-time location of essential medical equipment, such as wheelchairs, ventilators, and diagnostic machines. When equipment is urgently needed, staff can quickly locate it using a connected application.
Additionally, staff can wear panic button devices that trigger alerts, including their precise location. This significantly enhances safety in large hospital buildings by ensuring rapid emergency response. To implement this system, the hospital must strategically upload floor plans, position WiFi access points and/or Bluetooth beacons, and integrate the Combain Location API into its existing management systems.
Use Case 2: Smart Retail Analytics
Understanding customer movement patterns is essential for optimizing store layouts, enhancing signage, and increasing sales in a large shopping mall. Using the Combain Manual Indoor Positioning, the mall can produce heat maps identifying high-traffic areas and less-visited zones. Store owners can utilize this data to strategically position displays, improve customer flow, and maximize visibility for key products.
The implementation process would involve mapping the mall’s floors, placing beacons in stores and common areas, and connecting to the Combain Location API to gather and analyze movement data. It could also involve creating an app that visitors use, for example, for wayfinding. The insights gained can be visualized through dashboards or integrated into the mall’s analytics platform.
Conclusion
Combain Manual Indoor Positioning is an innovative solution for organizations seeking to improve indoor location-based services. By offering intuitive tools, flexible access options, and comprehensive data insights, it provides significant value to both developers and businesses. Whether you need to track assets, optimize building layouts, or enhance safety, Combain Manual Indoor delivers a reliable, scalable, and efficient platform for today’s indoor positioning requirements.
Key Takeaways
What is Manual Indoor?
Indoor positioning by placing your WiFi access points and Bluetooth beacons on a floor plan.
You upload plans, define floors, and register beacon locations to build a radio environment model for the site.
What accuracy should you expect?
- Typical median error is 5 to 10 meters.
- 5 to 20 meters, depending on density, training, building, and device.
- One beacon per 20 sqm is recommended for about 2-meter accuracy.
What data do you receive in responses?
- Building, floor, and room as defined in your model, plus latitude and longitude.
- Positions are returned via the Combain Location API.
How do you set it up?
- Upload floor plans.
- Create floors.
- Bulk import beacon IDs and their 3D locations from a CSV file.
- Use the portal visualizations to check coverage and fine-tune placements.
How do devices send data?
- Trackers or smartphones collect MAC addresses and signal strengths for nearby WiFi and BLE beacons.
- They send these to the Location API directly or via your server.
- The API resolves the position.
What platforms and hosting options are supported?
Tracking works on Android and iOS. You integrate through the standard Location API. You can host the positioning server on-prem for full data control.
What are the benefits for developers and teams?
- Lower setup cost by reusing existing radios.
- Flexible scale from small offices to large facilities.
- No hardware lock-in since any device that exposes the required data can be used.
- Better privacy with on-prem hosting when needed.
What can you do with Manual Indoor on day one?
- Track assets.
- Provide indoor navigation.
- Analyze movement with heat maps.
- Improve safety with room-level incident response.
- Optimize facility management with occupancy insights.
How does crowdsourcing tie in?
- Your registered beacon locations can be reused to extend the Crowd Indoor database.
- Private storage options are available when required.
How do you start testing?
- Get a free API key (FREE SIGN UP).
- Upload a floor plan and a small set of beacon locations—see the Indoor Positioning Guide.
- Call the Location API and verify that responses include the correct building, floor, and room.
- A product leaflet is available for download below.
Achieve 3D location precision with a typical median error of 5-10 m
Simply register the locations of your existing Wi-Fi access points and/or Bluetooth beacons
Supports location tracking on Android and iOS devices
Summary
- CSV import of indoor WiFis and Bluetooth beacon data and location.
- Enables simple 3D positioning, like “in building 3 – floor 1 – room 105”.
- Beacon locations are reused to extend the Crowd Indoor database. Private data storage available.
- Accuracy 5-20 m*.
- Recommended one beacon / 20 m2 for ~2m accuracy.
- Graphical building management addon available.
* Actual accuracy depends on
- Density of WiFis/Bluetooth beacons
- Training method
- Building structure
- Device capabilities