Developers Can Use Utilize Magnetic Anomalies Inside Buildings to Augment App Location Services

A new twist on geomapping APIs for app development is currently in beta from IndoorAtlas. Called “geomagnetic based mapping” the platform uses a smartphone’s magnetometer for location based services indoors without needing any type of Wi-Fi or beacon type connectivity. The platform currently supports iOS and Android.

IndoorAtlas utilizes magnetic anomalies inside buildings and smartphones to pinpoint indoor locations. This results in an indoor position accuracy down to 1-2 meters without any additional infrastructure. 

IndoorAtlas’ location technology is partly inspired by the evidence that some animals use Earth’s magnetic field not only for the orientation detection, but also for navigation. Some animals – such as some lobsters, birds, foxes, etc. – are not only able to detect the direction of the Earth’s magnetic field, but they can even sense their true position relative to their destination. These animals are able to derive positional information that arise from the local anomalies of the Earth’s magnetic field.

Modern buildings with reinforced concrete and steel structures have unique spatially varying ambient magnetic fields that can be used for positioning, in very much the same way as the animals use Earth’s magnetic field, but on a smaller spatial scale. In principle, a non-uniform ambient magnetic field produces different magnetic field observations, depending on the path taken through it.

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