IndoorAtlas calculates your precise position using a continuous stream of magnetic field observations. Because our positioning engine relies on these ongoing data patterns, your device needs to move a short distance to gather enough sensor readings to make the observed geomagnetic fingerprint unique. This convergence establishes an accurate position estimate—resulting in your first location fix.


Once the correct location is found, geomagnetic information enables highly accurate tracking. However, relying on geomagnetic data alone requires that initial movement.


How to speed up the first location fix

To reduce or eliminate the need to walk, IndoorAtlas uses sensor fusion. By providing the system with an initial starting point from radio signals or other sources, the magnetic positioning can lock on instantly:

  • Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) Beacons: Deploying a sparse network of BLE beacons provides an immediate, approximate location as soon as the app opens. Many modern Wi-Fi access points already contain BLE radios that transmit iBeacon or Eddystone signals, meaning you can often use your existing Wi-Fi infrastructure as beacons, use dedicated battery beacons, or mix and match both. Once the user starts walking, the magnetic tracking seamlessly takes over for pinpoint accuracy.

    • Cost-Effective: Because IndoorAtlas fuses BLE with magnetic data, you only need 10–20% of the beacons normally required for traditional BLE-only positioning.

    • Cross-Platform Consistency: Beacons are mandatory for supporting background and accurate positioning on iOS. They also significantly improve Android performance, bypassing platform restrictions that limit Wi-Fi scanning accuracy.

  • The setLocation API: You can use this API method to manually inject an initial location hint from any available external source (such as GPS, Wi-Fi, or direct user input) to help the engine converge faster.

We are constantly optimizing our algorithms to reduce the time and physical movement required to achieve an out-of-the-box location fix. Fusing radio and geomagnetic information provides the most optimal, frictionless solution for your users.


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