Beacon deployment operations

Available for an ArcGIS organization licensed with the ArcGIS IPS extension.

The ArcGIS IPS Setup app provides a set of features for managing and maintaining a network of beacons within a deployment. The owner or manager of an ArcGIS IPS-enabled facility can perform the following operations:

• Configure the IPS_Beacons_Inventory table.
• Create a beacon feature.
• Update a beacon feature.
• Delete a beacon point.
• Display a beacon’s summary.

Configure the IPS_Beacons_Inventory table (optional)

The IPS_Beacons_Inventory table is created as part of the IPS Data Model in ArcGIS Pro to simplify beacon deployment. With this table, you have the option to automatically populate beacon attributes in the IPS Setup app. Transfer your beacon data into the IPS_Beacons_Inventory table by following its schema, and add the table to your map using ArcGIS Pro.

Alternatively, you can enter beacon attributes in the IPS Setup app.

Create a beacon feature

During beacon installation, you can create and mark beacon locations and add beacon attribute information. To create a beacon feature, activate feature editing on the Beacons feature layer, enable editing, and ensure that the necessary layers are visible.

To create a beacon feature, complete the following steps:

1. Open the IPS Setup app, and sign in if necessary.
2. Search for and open a map.
3. Tap Options , and tap Start Deployment.

   Note:

   If the visibility of the Beacons and Units layers is disabled, it is automatically enabled when you tap Start Deployment. These layers help with precise positioning of beacon points.

4. Tap Add item to create a beacon feature.

   A crosshair symbol appears on the screen.

5. Position the crosshair symbol at the required location, and tap Add beacon point to specify a beacon point location.

   The attribute list for the beacon appears.

6. Optionally, tap Options in the editing pane to access additional actions to edit the beacon placement:
   • Undo—Undo the previous action.
   • Redo—Redo the previous undo action.
7. Provide a value for the Beacon ID or MAC Address field.

   Note:

   A Beacon ID or a MAC Address field value is required to save a new beacon feature. To simplify data entry and minimize errors, you can scan a quick response (QR) code to detect and populate the MAC Address field. If the IPS_Beacons_Inventory table is configured, you will see suggestions while typing in the Beacon ID field.

8. Optionally, populate the remaining attributes for the beacon feature.

   If the IPS_Beacons_Inventory table is configured, entering a Beacon ID or MAC Address value from the table automatically populates all attributes for that beacon feature. Otherwise, you can manually populate the other attribute fields for any beacon feature.

9. Tap Submit.

The beacon feature is saved to the feature class.

Edit or update a beacon feature

If a beacon point is planned in ArcGIS Pro or incorrectly added during feature creation, you may need to update its attributes or position on an indoor positioning map. To update a beacon feature, feature editing on the Beacons feature layer must be active, which involves enabling the editing mode and ensuring that the necessary layers are visible.

To update a beacon feature, complete the following steps:

1. Open the IPS Setup app, and sign in if necessary.
2. Search for and open a map.
3. Tap Layers .

   The Layers list appears and displays the available layers for the map.

4. Turn on the Beacons layer toggle button to visualize all available (existing) beacon features on the map.
5. Tap an existing beacon point on the map to show its attributes.
6. Tap Edit Beacons.

   A crosshair symbol appears centered at the selected beacon on the map and the beacon attributes are displayed.

   Note:

   If the visibility of the Units layer is disabled, it is automatically enabled when you enable editing.

7. Pan and zoom the crosshair to change the beacon position.
8. Tap Update beacon point.
9. Optionally, populate the remaining attributes for the beacon feature.

   If the IPS_Beacons_Inventory table is configured, entering a Beacon ID or MAC Address value from the table automatically populates all attributes for that beacon feature. Otherwise, you can manually populate the other attribute fields for any beacon feature.

   Note:

   A Beacon ID or a MAC Address field value is required to save a new beacon feature. To simplify data entry and minimize errors, you can scan a quick response (QR) code to detect and populate the MAC Address field.

10. Optionally, tap Options to access additional actions to edit the beacon placement:
    • Undo—Undo the previous action.
    • Redo—Redo the previous undo action.
11. Tap Submit.

    The beacon feature attributes are updated in the feature table.

Delete a beacon point

To delete a beacon point, complete the following steps:

1. Open the IPS Setup app, and sign in if necessary.
2. Search for and open a map.
3. Tap Layers .

   The Layers list appears and displays the available layers for the map.

4. Turn on the Beacons toggle button to ensure that all the available beacons are visible on the map.
5. Tap Edit Beacons.
6. Tap a beacon point on the map to display a summary of its feature attributes.
7. Tap Delete Beacon in the summary view.
8. Tap Confirm to delete the beacon point.

Display a beacon’s summary

You can display a beacon’s attribute summary to monitor and manage a beacon network.

To display the details of an individual beacon deployed in a network, complete the following steps:

1. Open the IPS Setup app, and sign in if necessary.
2. Search for and open a map.
3. If beacons points are not visible, tap Layers .

   The Layers list appears and displays the available layers for the map.

4. Turn on the Beacons toggle button to ensure that all the available beacons are visible on the map.
5. Tap a beacon point on the map to display its feature attribute information:
   • Beacon ID
   • Battery Level
   • LastSeen timestamp
   • Advertising interval
   • Power Level

     Note:

     If the beacon point you want to display is not visible on the map, ensure that the beacon has a valid Level ID assigned.