Img Source - Pawel Olek
The demand for indoor navigation systems for various industries is constantly growing. Because of this, developers need to create innovative solutions that use indoor navigation features. Navigine supports the Open Source concept and makes some navigation algorithms developed by the company freely available. Open Source provides developers with the software libraries and technical support needed to create custom solutions from scratch.
What is an indoor navigation system?
Until recently, locating people and objects was only carried out via GPS. It operates based on satellite signals and performs effective positioning outdoors. However, it has a significant drawback of performing poorly inside buildings. In this situation, an indoor navigation and positioning system (IPS) was developed specifically for indoor use, which easily calculates the location and allows you to build routes to objects.
To use the system, two components are required - hardware and software. Beacons, tags, and gateways that employ various technologies can be used as the hardware. Wi-Fi or Bluetooth® Low Energy are the most popular ones, as they allow location determination with a high level of accuracy (up to 3-16 ft).
Integrating a navigation system with the business infrastructure opens up wide opportunities for managing and optimizing the company’s work. Indoor navigation can solve the following problems:
- creating convenient routes to places of interest;
- sending notifications with information or advertising;
- improving user experience with convenient navigation throughout the building;
- determining the location of objects on the map.
Indoor Navigation and Wayfinding BLE Kit - Minew Hardware
Try all location-powered capabilities with the Navigine Indoor Indoor Navigation and Wayfinding BLE Kit - Minew Hardware
Purchase
Open source concept
An open-source navigation system involves providing the code for part of the navigation algorithms, which can be changed or improved by any user. This solution inspires the developer community, allows you to control the code, and ensures stable software operation. The user gets the opportunity to not only view the code but also to correct detected errors, which increases the security of the navigation system.
Navigine actively supports the open-source concept and provides several algorithms that help build routes and create effective navigation systems in mobile applications. By regularly testing the latest navigation developments, we help create highly accurate navigation systems that fully meet the needs of businesses.
Developers collaborating with our company are provided with access to the following algorithms:
- The Pedometer algorithm uses the accelerometer in an Android or iOS smartphone to measure the length of a person's steps. The analysis is carried out using the timestamp and the input acceleration components (ax, ay, az).
- A complementary filter studies data from the accelerometer, gyroscope, and magnetometer on the user’s device, and then, based on the data received, determines orientation in space.
- Location assessment involves an RSSI-based algorithm, which allows you to determine the location of an object indoors. In the future, these coordinates will be regarded as the position of the nearest sensor.
- GNSS navigation links indoor navigation solutions with GNSS positioning. Thanks to this, you can achieve a smoother indoor-outdoor transition.
- A radio map of the area allows you to create a navigation system without using additional equipment. The position of moving objects is estimated based on the distance between the destination and the radio signal source.
- Post-processing allows for tailoring the solution to predetermined parameters to achieve a more attractive visual effect.
Benefits of using open-source navigation system code by Navigine
Navigation algorithms are suitable for any industry, whether it be retail, warehouses, manufacturing, or healthcare. When used for app development, you can get a wide range of benefits, such as:
- High accuracy: thanks to the algorithms, it can range from 1.5 to 30 ft, depending on the technology that’s been chosen.
- Monthly code updates: we are constantly working to improve our algorithms, so you get updated data every month.
- Professional technical support: if you have any questions, you can contact our employees, who will help resolve any issues and give tips on using the code.
- Constant availability on GitHub: you can always access the repository on the web service for IT projects.
If you’re looking for indoor navigation open-source solutions, please visit us at https://navigine.com/open-source/ or contact Navigine directly for further advice. Our company is an expert in the field of indoor navigation and is more than ready to provide advanced solutions for developing effective mobile applications.
