Optimize indoor positioning performance

Available with the ArcGIS Indoors Maps extension.

A global positioning system (GPS) is widely used to determine a location anywhere in the world. It works best when there is an unobstructed line of sight to four or more satellites. This results in relatively weak signals when you're inside structures, such as buildings. An indoor positioning system (IPS) is used to determine a location inside of buildings using infrastructure such as Wi-Fi access points that are present at and transmit signals from fixed locations.

There are several commercial systems available that use various technologies, including Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, for providing IPS. Vendors of such systems must survey the interior space of buildings to enable indoor positioning. The precision of indoor location information is dependent on the technology used. Bluetooth-based IPS is generally more accurate and reliable than Wi-Fi-based IPS.

ArcGIS Indoors for iOS supports Wi-Fi-based indoor positioning provided by Apple. Indoors for iOS also supports Bluetooth-based indoor positioning configured using ArcGIS IPS or the Apple Indoor Maps Program.

Mobile operating systems have location-service-specific settings that determine the most accurate positioning in an indoor space. The following settings are recommended for a good IPS experience:

iOS Location Services
iOS Location Access
  1. In Settings > Privacy & Security, turn on the Location Services setting.
  2. In Settings > Privacy & Security, set Location to Always for the app.
  3. Include related configurations in the mobile map package if your organization is using an indoor positioning system.

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