Submit anonymized training data to enhance service. Training data never shared with any third party.
> 170 million cell IDs
> 150 billion positions
195 of 195 countries
GROWING FAST
Cloud, OnPrem, and Offline deployments available
The Combain Location API is a robust and innovative solution designed to deliver precise positioning services by leveraging a combination of mobile cell towers, LoRaWAN gateways, indoor WiFi, and Bluetooth access point data. By submitting the radio signals in the proximity of a device to this geolocation API, it will respond with the most likely geographical coordinates for that device.
This API provides developers and organizations with powerful tools to create location-based services and applications. Integrating advanced algorithms and a rich global database, the Combain Location API ensures fast and accurate location resolution seamlessly outdoors and indoors, making it a cornerstone for various industries and use cases.
You can subscribe to and access any of Combain’s services through the same Location API, thus providing a genuinely seamless outdoor-indoor positioning service.
- Based on a crowdsourced global database
- Accessed over the internet with HTTPS
- Secure & Private
This GNSS alternative benefits customers globally from various industry segments. IoT companies use the API for seamless indoor and outdoor tracking of everything from stationary refrigerators and smart meters to constantly moving medical equipment in hospitals. Thanks to the API’s security and privacy, police and security agencies also use it to track smartphones and vehicles.
How it works
The Combain Location API uses Combain’s Location Database, built on billions of GPS position measurements and radio data from beacons such as cell towers, indoor WiFi access points, and BLE beacons.
Through crowdsourcing, we receive learning data from customers and partners, resulting in millions of new measurements every day. Then, we use our proprietary modeling algorithms and extensive server power to calculate a radio model for every beacon worldwide from all these billions of data points, resulting in the Combain Location Database.
To locate a device, you send an HTTP request to the web-based Combain Location API, providing radio data from the device. The most likely position of the device is then calculated based on all the radio models stored in the Combain Location Database.
Data Provided by the API
The Combain Location API delivers comprehensive location data, including:
- Location:
- The geographic coordinates, latitude and longitude, of the device.
- If the request contains WiFi or BLE Beacon MAC addresses and there is a published Radio Environment Model for the building, the answer will also include the building, floor, and room.
- GNSS location data, if available.
- Accuracy: The accuracy is the estimated median error in meters, i.e., the radius in a circle with a 50% confidence level. The uncertainty and actual error depend on the found radio networks’ proximity, density, and range.
Please see the API documentation for detailed information about the API response.
This granular data allows developers and organizations to adopt the API’s output to their specific needs, ensuring relevance and usability in various applications.
How to Access the API
Accessing the Combain Location API is easy. Developers can integrate the API into their systems by obtaining an API key from Combain’s developer portal. The API follows RESTful architecture, which ensures compatibility with various programming languages and frameworks. Combain provides comprehensive documentation, including example code snippets and best practices for optimizing API calls, to assist developers throughout the integration process.
Your use of the API is private and not shared with any third party.
Combain offers access to the geolocation service either as our regular cloud service or as an on-premises service, called the Combain On-Prem Location Server. The location server is then hosted in your infrastructure and updated with data from Combain.
Here is a quick guide to get you started
What You Can Do with the Combain Location API
The possibilities with the Combain Location API are vast. Developers can:
- Create geofencing applications for targeted marketing, safety alerts, or resource tracking.
- Enable location-based authentication for enhanced security.
- Build navigation and asset-tracking solutions for logistics and transportation.
- Develop innovative IoT solutions by integrating location awareness into devices and systems.
Organizations can leverage these capabilities to optimize operations, enhance customer experiences, and improve decision-making processes.
Benefits for Developers and User Organizations
For developers, the Combain Location API provides both simplicity and flexibility. Its RESTful design allows easy integration, and the comprehensive documentation accelerates the development process. With high reliability and global coverage, developers can concentrate on creating innovative applications without worrying about infrastructure or data accuracy.
For organizations, the API offers numerous strategic advantages. Precise location data facilitates better resource allocation, enhances customer engagement, and improves operational efficiency. By leveraging Combain’s robust infrastructure, organizations can reduce costs and focus on their core competencies while benefiting from advanced location intelligence.
Use Cases and Implementation Examples
Use Case 1: Fleet Management
Scenario: A logistics company wants to track its vehicles in real-time to improve operational efficiency and enhance customer service.
Implementation: The Combain Location API can be integrated into the company’s fleet management system. The system can provide real-time updates on its location by equipping each vehicle with a device that communicates with the API. Combining WiFi and cell tower data ensures continuous tracking, even in areas with poor GNSS coverage, such as indoor parking facilities.
Benefits:
- Enhanced route optimization, reducing fuel costs and delivery times.
- Improved customer satisfaction through accurate delivery time estimates.
- Increased security with real-time location monitoring to prevent theft or misuse.
- Fallback when GNSS is unreliable or under jamming or spoofing attacks.
Use Case 2: Emergency Response
Scenario: A security operation wants to improve its emergency response services by locating guards in distress more effectively.
Implementation: The security company can integrate the Combain Location API into its emergency dispatch system. When receiving a distress signal, the API can seamlessly pinpoint the caller’s location using GPS, Cell towers, and indoor WiFi. This ensures a fast and accurate response, even in environments where GPS may be unavailable or unreliable.
Benefits:
- Faster response times, potentially saving lives.
- Better resource allocation by dispatching the nearest responders.
- Enhanced communication with responders, as the system can provide precise location details.
Conclusion
The Combain Location API is a versatile and reliable tool for delivering precise location data across various applications. By leveraging advanced technologies and a comprehensive database, the API gives developers and organizations the tools to create innovative and impactful solutions. From fleet management to emergency response, the Combain Location API is a critical enabler of modern location-based services. Its ease of integration, extensive coverage, and robust features make it an indispensable asset for any organization seeking to harness the power of location intelligence.
Submit anonymized training data to enhance service. Training data never shared with any third party.
> 170 million cell IDs
> 150 billion positions
195 of 195 countries
GROWING FAST
Cloud, OnPrem, and Offline deployments available
Truly global
Based on billions of positions from global crowdsourcing
The service uses Combain’s global database of Cell IDs. Our algorithms continuously update the database by processing millions of positions from global crowdsourcing. Your usage of the API is private and not shared with any third party.
| Type | Total number |
|---|---|
| GSM | > 34 000 000 |
| WCDMA | > 77 000 000 |
| CDMA | > 2 000 000 |
| LTE | > 63 000 000 |
| NR | > 1 000 000 |
| Region | Coverage | Nr. of cells |
|---|---|---|
| Europe | 99.2 | >59 000 000 |
| North America | 99.7 | >23 000 000 |
| Asia | 97 | >56 000 000 |
| Pacific | 98.5 | >17 000 000 |
| Africa | 97.2 | >10 000 000 |
| South America | 98.8 | >11 000 000 |
| USA | 99.9 | >16 000 000 |