Outdoor Geolocation Technologies
Outdoor geolocation technologies help apps detect people's exact location outdoors using signals and satellite systems to receive the most accurate location information. Here are the most widely used outdoor technologies:
GPS. The Global Positioning System sends signals to all mobile devices that support this function to detect the location of the user. Nowadays, all smartphones have a built-in GPS feature that can be either turned on or off.
Cellular Positioning. Mobile devices that are powered by the signals from cellular networks close to them can also indicate the geolocation of some objects.
A-GPS. This is a blend of GPS and Cell IDs, making the geolocation feature even more accurate. It quickly determines the location of the user and transmits this information through a WiFi or cellular connection.
WiFi positioning. This system uses WiFi networks to determine your location. It covers smaller areas, allowing the technology to be more accurate. This technology is easy to use, and the location is determined super quickly, but it covers smaller areas compared to GPS.
Indoor Geolocation Technologies
The main indoor geolocation technologies include geofencing and BLE-based technologies.
Geofencing. This location technology is gaining more popularity at the moment. It presupposes the use of a virtual perimeter with a radius of up to 500 meters. Whenever the user enters a perimeter, they receive a notification either in an SMS form or a PUSH notification. For example, when a user enters a specific store, they will receive a notification about a promotion or discounts.
iBeacon and Eddystone. These technologies were built by Apple and Google. They rely on BLE; Bluetooth low-energy signals. They are both incredibly accurate and easy to use, but have a small radius of action and are quite expensive.