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I am looking to develop an application usable on the devices of visitors so that I can tell where they are. The initial idea I had, already done in some museums, is to have a number on specific locations within the museum, they call a phone number, enter that number, and get enhanced content, perhaps audio narration about that space. This is nicely device agnostic, though some WiFi only devices may not have a mechanism to call a phone number, but perhaps having folks on WiFi load a mobile website and choose their location (assuming the number of spots is not too many) from a list, and then click a button.

I'm new to this, and have been brainstorming on this, but I really don't know what I don't know. So here are my questions:

  • Can I use GPS indoors and get accurate information or will that basically not work in most buildings?
  • If I use a service like Skyhook Wireless, and use multiple WiFi routers, will I be able to locate the WiFi connected users accurately?
  • Can I use Bluetooth somehow? Setup for Bluetooth seems like a hassle, but maybe there's a Bluetooth mode that is simpler to use for an application like this?
  • For devices with a camera, what can I do with an image here. Photo of a QR Code? Are QR code reading libraries built into devices I can use, or would I need to find a library?
  • Are there are other techniques I might be able to use, maybe counting footsteps with the accelerometer somehow? Or using magnets somehow for devices with a compass?

Suggestions welcome, assume I'm trying to target as many smartphones as practical (Android, iOS, Blackberry, webOS, Windows Phone 7) that are popular in North America. If there is a way to also include devices that are not considered smartphones, that would be great too.

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artlung
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QR codes are your best bet. They're cheap and, for example, in a museum you could put one next to every painting. For devices without a camera, you could choose to print a location-code next to the QR that they could enter manually in an app. Here's another solution as well:

Set up a wifi repeater/booster in each location you want to determine (ex: in a museum, each room) and record the SSID for each router. As the user walks from each room to the next, their device will automatically switch to the repeater with the highest quality signal (the one in that room). Simply have your application test for which SSID the user is connected to.

GPS is not accurate enough and may not work inside buildings and Skyhook wireless is only for one address. Having users call a number and/or go to a website to manually select a location is too many steps for the user, and the user may not have reception to place a call. Bluetooth is a huge hassle.

Jack Lawrence
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  • is repeater/booster used when triangulating the position? – Özgür Mar 17 '11 at 12:44
  • Yes, however if you just need to know on a per-room basis, you wouldn't need to triangulate. The device would connect to the strongest repeater and you could figure out which room you're in by SSID. – Jack Lawrence Mar 17 '11 at 13:35
  • I don't think android or ios allow to query SSIDs in their APIs, as long as I can see the most accurate position in my app that is unnecessary either. Thanks for your help. – Özgür Mar 17 '11 at 13:57
  • QR Code experience of Brooklyn Museum: https://www.brooklynmuseum.org/community/blogosphere/2012/01/04/qr-in-the-new-year/ – artlung Jan 05 '12 at 14:55
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If you're talking indoors, I think you have some great ideas. GPS may be spotty depending on the building, and Wi-Fi triangulation only works if your signal is proportional to the proximity of the user to the unit. Here is my suggestion:

QR Codes sounds like the best option here if you don't mind having them all over the place. If someone can scan a QR code, (which they are on most all platforms, it's just making sure your users have a decoder installed and can actually use it), then you have three things going for you:

  1. You know they have to be in range to scan it...so that's far more accurate than you can get with other location devices.
  2. you can use the QR code to embed a link to a download site or embed the actual information into the QR code if it's not too much.
  3. Most smartphones today have QR code scanner apps built in, and there are libraries (java and .net) that you could use to build your own app.

The downside here of course is that you're assuming the cameras are good enough quality and that someone isn't going to deface your QR code so that subsequent visitors can't read it.

Ryan Hayes
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Can I use GPS indoors and get accurate information or will that basically not work in most buildings?

no, GPS needs a clear view of the sky. regardless, the accuracy of GPS is around +/- 50 feet and can be worse.

If I use a service like Skyhook Wireless, and use multiple WiFi routers, will I be able to locate the WiFi connected users accurately?

aGPS is less accurate than GPS.

Can I use Bluetooth somehow?

bluetooth is not location aware.

android 2.3 introduces something called near-field communications. this would theoretically allow the person to wave their phone over a receiver and transmit information. it's quite new and i think the nexus s is the only device with hardware support for this. at best you are looking at some early adopter pain for that one.

Photo of a QR Code? Are QR code reading libraries built into devices I can use, or would I need to find a library?

that's a good idea. QR codes are popular because they are simple. libraries are not part of the SDK but they exist. it would be hard to build one yourself if it came down to that. by the same token, you could just as the user to enter a simple location code. essentially the same thing and might be simpler than aligning the camera for a QR read.

it does depend on your application. if you want this to automatically locate everyone without an user intervention, QR codes / codes won't work because the user has to take some action. even NFC, from what i've read, operates on very short distances so the person would need to wave the phone across something closely not just walk by.

Jeffrey Blattman
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  • I'm not sure about the interaction model. If I want users to really see the exhibit having them futzing with their phones too much is no good. It really has to be simple and not over-distracting. It sounds like the passive technologies are not fully baked into phones. What I'm reading about more ambient stuff is related to RFID and not phones. – artlung Dec 14 '10 at 00:39
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Keep in mind the bump application. They don't use bluetooth or any form of wireless technique to determine if two people are near each other. http://bu.mp/faq

Since you have 1 building that you care about. Why not simply have a root device or network of devices in your building that you care about. This root device would communicate with all the clients to do your bidding.

hunterp
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  • Cool. So they say " _Valid location information. Bump uses the device's location as part of the matching process. Sometimes the GPS or Maps app will report old or invalid location information, in which case Bump won't work. Please check that the location information is correct by going to the Maps application and viewing your current location. If it is not correct, turn on your GPS and select 'My Location' which should update your phone to reflect your current location._ " -- So they are matching on a set of criteria related to the route and the reported location data. Interesting. – artlung Dec 13 '10 at 19:49
  • As soon as you "Bump" with someone, both devices record the exact time and then send it to the server. It also sends the devices' approximate location using GPS/Tower data. On a large scale, the server has a bunch of locations paired with times. It narrows down the results of who your device could have bumped with based on a location radius (to take into account errors/differences in reported location between devices). Then it looks in that radius and matches the time stamps together. This won't work well if everyone is within the same building (& in some cases w/o GPS/location available) – Jack Lawrence Dec 13 '10 at 20:21
  • You would also have to deal with purchasing a bunch more devices, a server, and do a bunch of server-side coding. – Jack Lawrence Dec 13 '10 at 20:22
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Maybe cellphones can´t solve your problem, have you considered cameras on each room and a QR code tag on each guest? you might get the images from the security camera since they are infrared. Another way of achieving this is by locating the camera in front of the door so that the guests are always seen by the QR code algorithm. Cellphones are just too diverse to implement this, have you thought that the guests might not have a cellphone at all?

AlfredoVR
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  • QR codes have been mentioned as possibly useful in other comments. Your answer saying the mobile phones are not useful is a not useful. This audience *has* cell phones, and enhancing the experience for iOS, Android, and Blackberry users seems like the low hanging fruit to add interactivity and an interesting experience. – artlung Jun 06 '11 at 04:46
  • You are considering that everyone has a smartphone and has the time and knowledge to obtain the application needed. Also, if you happen to not have one, the information still has to be available. – AlfredoVR Jun 07 '11 at 03:01
  • You are misrepresenting the nature and assumptions of the question. Your reply is unhelpful. – artlung Jun 09 '11 at 18:01
  • I was trying to enlight you with reality, but well you just want the cool factor of cellphones, that´s ok. – AlfredoVR Jun 10 '11 at 01:18
  • I am well aware of the realities of my audience, thus the question. Don't assume I'm an idiot just because YOU don't understand my audience. – artlung Jun 10 '11 at 16:36
  • "a QR code tag on each guest". I know this is two years old, but are you kidding me?! Every person who walks into the building must wear a QR code like a nametag. Just make sure you install a few suicide booths while you're at it. – Kris Craig Jan 04 '14 at 08:43