WHITEPAPERNAVIGATION INSIDE BUILDINGS

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WE MOVE PEOPLE IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION

Out on the streets, navigation technology has become indispensable. However, we

spend 85% of our time inside buildings. TomTom and Google Maps bring you right

to the doorstep. With our technique, you easily navigate to the right place and you

always know where important equipment is located.

NAVIGATION IN THE OUTSIDE WORLD

Thanks to GPS, Google Maps or our car’s navigation system can help us find our way in the out-

side world. The Global Positioning System always knows where we are located and communi-

cates this to the device we are using. This way we always know where we are located and we only

have to enter where we want to go to obtain the route. That is, if we are outside.

GPS doesn’t work inside buildings because the signals are blocked by the

construction of the building.

BEACONS INSIDE BUILDINGS

Beacons offer a solution to this problem. Beacons are small Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) bea-

cons that transmit signals, just like GPS does for the outside world. The beacon’s signals can be

received by mobile phones. An app on your phone calculates your current position. Next, your

position is shown on a digital map in the app. In the app you enter the location you are looking for

and the route will then be shown on your phone.

Case example: Rijksmuseum

At the Rijksmuseum, the museum in the Netherlands, everything centers around

art and history from the Middle Ages to Mondriaan. An important spearhead for the

Rijksmuseum is the visitor’s museum experience. The museum eagerly wanted to

enhance this experience through digital innovations, including the possibility for visi-

tors to plan multiple (digital) tours through the museum.

Because of Movin’s indoor technology (combined with beacons) visitors at

the Rijksmuseum can now plan (digital) tours through the museum.

THREE WAYS TO NAVIGATE INSIDE BUILDINGS

There are several methods to navigate inside buildings: the blue dot navigation

method, navigation without beacons or a balance between the two: the nearest

beacon method. Because there are different methods, there is a right solution to

suit every budget.

METHOD 1: BLUE DOT NAVIGATION

The beacons show your position inside the

building, just like Google Maps shows this for

example with a blue dot on the map. This blue

dot navigation method is very user friendly and

offers a great experience. It’s a fact that knowing

your current location is a very important part of

orientation and navigation. But it can also make a

navigation process very costly.

IMPLEMENTATION OF BLUE DOT NAVIGATION

The implementation of blue dot navigation is costly because a quite extensive beacon network

needs to be installed. Beacons are relatively cheap these days, but for an average hospital or

office complex you may easily need as many as a 1000 beacons. On top of this, the cost of instal-

lation and adjustment of the beacons for ideal position will be added. Thus the beacons can be

quite an expense.

METHOD 2: WITHOUT BEACONS

When costs play an important role, the navigation method without beacons might be the right

solution. This method is based on a map on which Points of Interest (POIs) will be added. For

example toilets, coffee corners, cafes, information desks or other specific rooms or facilities.

By making these POIs clickable, they help the user to orient and navigate. The route guidance will

take this into account so that the user will be guided from one point of recognition to the next.

This alternative method asks for extra attention when drawing up the map. The map needs to be

fitted with as much context as possible to limit the effect of the absence of blue dot indication on

the calculated route.

METHOD 3: NEAREST BEACON

A balance between the solution with and without beacons is the nearest beacon method. With

this method, the location of the user will be picked up when he comes within reach of the bea-

con. In the app, the user can get route instruction or specific information about the room he or she

enters.

In practice, this method is frequently used to let rooms light up on the (interactive) map, so the

user at least knows in which room or hall he is located. This is very useful for large event venues

for exhibitions or festivals. A big advantage of this method is that a lot fewer beacons need to be

installed.

It will depend on the project whether the full

investment, with beacons, is justified or the lower

entry level, without beacons, may be sufficient.

A decision that can only be made by the client

and also depends on what the exact goal of the

indoor navigation is. Know that it is not an either/

or decision. In a later stage, (more) beacons can

always be added.

IMPLEMENTATION OF THE NEAREST BEACON