Your smartphone makes it easy to locate any restaurant in the heart of downtown, but it’s not much help getting you through a crowded airport. That is unless you’re travelling through London’s Gatwick Airport.
Spot the Dot
Recently, Gatwick Airport installed around 2,000 beacons in two terminals, creating an indoor navigation system more reliable than traditional GPS. This beacon-based positioning system, built on Bluetooth® technology, is the world’s first for an airport.
The system uses Pointr Labs’ blue-dot positioning service to provide an augmented reality tool that guides you through the airport. By following the path overlaid in the camera view of your mobile device, you can easily find check-in areas, departure gates, baggage claim, and more.
The Foundation for Future Benefits
Gatwick Airport’s beacon-based system is just the beginning. Moving forward, it will allow airlines and airport retailers to create added benefits, including real-time gate change and departure delay notifications, as well as promotional messages for nearby passengers.
“We’re opening the door for…new real-time services that can help passengers find their way around the airport, avoid missing flights, or receive timely offers that might save them money,” said Abhi Chacko, Head of IT Commercial & Innovation, Gatwick Airport.
What About Privacy?
As with any sharing technology, user privacy and the protection of personal data is always a concern. Gatwick says that no personal data will be collected, but that using generic information on traveler densities in different beacon zones may help improve airport operations. This includes fast queue measurement, streamlining passenger flows, and reducing overall airport congestion.
Simple to Install, Easy to Maintain
Beyond the benefits to passengers, Gatwick Airport’s beacon-based system is a low-cost option for indoor navigation. By using battery-powered beacons, Gatwick minimized logistical complexity while keeping installation and maintenance costs low. Plus, they got the entire system up and running in just three weeks and only needed two months for testing and calibration. This makes beacons a smart solution for optimizing air travel.
If you’d like to learn more about Bluetooth® beacon technology, or to learn how to integrate it into your products or apps, be sure to check out our two beacon developer kits.
FEATURED DOWNLOAD
Enhancing Bluetooth Location Services with Direction Finding
A new Bluetooth direction finding feature allows devices to determine the direction of a Bluetooth signal, thereby enabling the development of Bluetooth proximity solutions that can understand device direction as well as Bluetooth positioning systems that can achieve down to centimeter-level location accuracy.
Exploring the Future of Bluetooth With Infineon
This week’s show comes in two parts. First, we discuss how Bluetooth is evolving…
Creating More Efficient Asset Tracking with OnLogic
Imagine a complex manufacturing process – like building an airplane. Getting the right parts,…
How Bluetooth Technology Is Supporting the Ambient IoT
The Ambient IoT is the next stage of evolution for IoT devices. It is…
Tech Talk: Explore Bluetooth® Channel Sounding
This session explores Bluetooth® Channel Sounding, and popular Channel Sounding use cases. Watch Now
ABI Snapshot – Key findings from the 2024 Bluetooth Market Update
In this ABI Snapshot, ABI Research’s Senior Director Andrew Zignani and Bluetooth SIG’s Market…
From Suppliers to Shoppers: How IoT Streamlines Supply Chains
To the average consumer, a product or service is simply an object or entity…
Coded PHYs + Advertising Coding Selection = Superior Bluetooth® Range
Bluetooth® v5.0 introduced LE Coded PHYs to extend the original range of the 1M…
Channel Sounding: Technical Overview (Pt 1)
Channel Sounding is an innovative new feature coming to Bluetooth technology, enabling distance estimation…
IoT Smart Tracking Streamlines Logistics Management End-to-End
In a world of constant flux, wireless communication revolutionizes inbound and outbound logistics by…
Security & Scalability: Navigating the Bluetooth LE Landscape for Retail
Bluetooth LE is a game-changer for the retail industry, enabling new levels of connectivity,…
Bluetooth Digital Key Solutions Continue to Innovate, Driving the Development of an Intelligent Vehicle EcosystemBluetoothデジタルキーソリューションが革新を続け、インテリジェント車両エコシステムの発展を促進
As automotive intelligence accelerates, digital keys are sparking a global trend. From an ecological…
Answers to Commonly Asked Questions About Bluetooth Technology and the Ambient IoTBluetooth技術とアンビエントIoTに関するよくある質問
The emergence of Ambient IoT devices represents a significant leap in the evolution of…
2024 Bluetooth® Market Update
The 2024 Bluetooth® Market Update examines the direction and adoption of Bluetooth technology.
The Ambient IoT - The Emergence of a New Class of Bluetooth® IoT DevicesアンビエントIoT – Bluetooth® IoTデバイスに新たなクラスが登場
Over the past two years, the Ambient IoT has been a growing topic of…
Using Bluetooth in Location Tracking Devices
Bluetooth ranging technology, which uses the distance between one or more devices through signal…
2023 Bluetooth® Market Update
Featuring new market insights and industry forecasts from ABI Research and other analyst firms...
The Importance of Standards in the Smart Retail Market
Retailers are increasingly looking towards Internet of Things (IoT) technologies to help them deliver…
Galleria Borghese, Rome Case Study
The Galleria Borghese Museum, based in Rome, houses works by Caravaggio, Raphael, Titian, Correggio,…
No More Queueing At The Hotel Check-in
Over two thirds of the British population now own a smartphone, using it for…
Bluetooth Location Services
See 8 use cases for enhancing building efficiencies and creating a better visitor experience, discover new data that supports the latest trends and forecasts, and find out what’s driving the rapid adoption of location services solutions.
Designing and Developing Bluetooth® Internet Gateways
Learn about Bluetooth® internet gateways, how to make them secure and scalable, and design and implement your own...
Lighting as a Platform
See how connected lighting systems are being used as a platform to enable advanced building services like wayfinding, asset tracking, and space utilization to improve the ROI of smart building investments.
Build a Smarter Building with Blue
See how Bluetooth increases reliability, reduces costs, and enhances your smart building ROI.
An Introduction to Bluetooth Beacons
Learn how to build your own Bluetooth beacon or integrate beacon technology into your existing products and apps.
