External Camera Systems in Addition to Indoor Positioning
Technologies for indoor positioning can be augmented with an imaging system, e.g. dome cameras. Especially in logistics and the security sector, the connection of an external camera system and thus the establishment of a correlation between camera image and position data can provide significant advantages.
Not only does it enable to locate mobile devices, objects and persons, but also to allocate optical features (e.g., clothes, colors, or numbers as identification criteria). Furthermore, a corresponding recognition of difference images offers benefits when supplementing positioning technologies such as Bluetooth Low Energy do not provide sufficient accuracy on their own.
Setup of External CCTV Cameras with infsoft Locator Nodes
The image data of the CCTV camera(s) is transmitted to an infsoft Locator Node, which functions as hardware for indoor positioning (via Wi-Fi, Bluetooth Low Energy, Ultra-wideband or RFID) and transmits camera data and captured position data to the infsoft LocAware platform®. Here, the data can be linked and for example processed by the analysis software. The connection of a third-party system is also possible.
Use Cases for Indoor Localization in Combination with an External Camera System
External cameras can be a beneficial addition to indoor positioning systems. Here are some examples:
In a large service center, a CCTV camera captures the license plate of cars entering the area. If (existing) customers arrive, the responsible employees receive a message and can make preparations to ensure an optimal client experience. In addition, the status of the vehicle within the repair / maintenance process can be tracked via Bluetooth beacons, which allows a more efficient organization of the maintenance procedures.
Software solution used: Indoor Tracking, Indoor Location-Based Services
Sensors used: camera systems, Bluetooth Low Energy (beacons)