One thing you can depend on, Apple is going to pack all kinds of goodies into its technology that offer the potential to transform the functionality of these devices and transform how you communicate with your customers. A case in point is Apple’s Indoor Positioning functionality, which Apple has updated for iOS 8 to provide facility owners with indoor latitude, longitude and floor level via API.
To utilize Indoor Positioning in their own app, facility owners will need to survey their facility using Apple tools and upload a map to the Maps Indoor interface. Once that is done, the technology can be incorporated into the facility’s app. However, not just any company can utilize Apple’s Indoor Positioning.
To do so you must meet the following criteria:
- Be accessible to the general public.
- Have annual visitors in excess of 1 million.
- Have complete reference maps available.
- Have enabled Wi-Fi throughout.
- Have an associated app authorized by the facility owner.
If you qualify, it can be an enticing opportunity, but is it one for your company? Do you have the internal expertise to leverage the opportunity? To answer these types of questions, the safe bet is to work with a company who has in-depth expertise in location aware technology.
One such company is Phunware, which specializes in location aware technology. To help facility owners learn more about Apple’s Indoor Positioning, Phunware’s VP and GM of Product, Andy Greff, has written “Apple Indoor Maps and Positioning: A Primer” which examines the technology and provides advice on how facilities should approach the opportunity.
As he points out in the article, rolling out a comprehensive mobile indoor positioning system takes more than just knowing the latitude, longitude and floor. With Phunware’s expertise in Mapping, Navigation and Wayfinding, developers can quickly implement indoor mapping and positioning into their mobile offerings. You can also take advantage of one of Phunware’s pre-built vertical solutions if you don’t yet have an app of your own or prefer a purpose built solution.
Realizing that you have to serve all customers, not just those with an iPhone, Phunware provides location aware solutions that are technology-agnostic, having productized SDK location provider integrations such as OS (iOS and Android) for GPS, Wi-Fi (server-side), Wi-Fi (client-side), chipset / processor and BLE beacons. And now Apple Indoor Positioning.