Embarcadero Technologies has released BeaconFence, an indoor/outdoor beacon-based user location and zone management solution that allows developers to build interactive applications that maintain and respond to precise user and hardware location and movement. The BeaconFence location aware technology solution enables application developers and ISVs (independent software vendors) to add interactive user and device proximity support to iOS, Android, Windows, and OS X applications.
BeaconFence proximity components track and report user or device location, zone presence/enter/exit, and movement in both indoor and outdoor scenarios. This enables the development of interactive applications that utilize end-user, customer, or device proximity to or within any physical location, building or object.
Using industry-standard iBeacons and AltBeacons, BeaconFence supports simple radial zones as well as polygonal zones of virtually any shape or layout. Developers simply import a blueprint, bird’s-eye photo, or drawing of the physical location layout, visually place beacons, and draw zones. BeaconFence will then provide user or device location tracking including zone enter/exit events.
With BeaconFence, developers can provide high-precision user tracking both indoors and outdoors using standard Bluetooth-enabled phones and tablets that users already carry, and off-the-shelf beacons that can be installed in any location. BeaconFence enables developers to develop applications that understand accurate user location and movement within developer defined polygonal zones, enabling solutions that go well beyond the traditional “am I near an object” beacon and RFID proximity support.
Highlights of BeaconFence’s features include:
- Bluetooth LE Indoor/Outdoor GPS-Free user and Device Location Tracking
- Radial and polygonal zone support
- User and device location, intersection, movement, and enter/exit properties and events
- Support for standard iBeacons and AltBeacons available from a wide variety of vendors
- Visual Zone designer with location blueprint and bird’s-eye view photo import
- Support for iOS, Android, Windows, and OS X devices and apps
- Support for Delphi, RAD Studio, and C++Builder available with support for Visual Studio, Xcode, Java, and Xamarin to be released in the near future