ArcGIS IPS terminology

Available for an ArcGIS organization licensed with the IPS extension.

The terms defined below are used in ArcGIS IPS.

ArcGIS IPS Setup

ArcGIS IPS Setup is a mobile app (available for Android and iOS) that collects reference radio signals in the space where ArcGIS IPS is being deployed. It can also be used on-site to test the positioning accuracy of the indoor positioning system.

Beacon

A beacon is a small radio device that emits Bluetooth radio signals at a constant time interval. It is uniquely identified in a network by three properties: UUID, Major, and Minor. These property values are encoded, together with other information, in the packets transmitted by the beacon.

BLE (Bluetooth Low Energy)

BLE is a variation of the Bluetooth wireless standard designed for low power consumption.

Indoor positioning file

An indoor positioning file is a file database that contains reference radio data for an indoor environment. It can be generated using the Generate Indoor Positioning File tool or the Generate Indoor Positioning File Without Survey tool. The indoor positioning file is used by the ArcGIS IPS engine to calculate indoor positions.

Indoor positioning system

An indoor positioning system is based on a network of devices (usually BLE or Wi-Fi) used to locate people or objects indoors, where other localization sources such as GPS lack precision or fail entirely.

ArcGIS IPS engine

The ArcGIS IPS engine computes a user’s indoor position. It is a component of the ArcGIS Maps SDKs and consumes mobile sensor data and positioning infrastructure signals.

Learn more about the technical aspects of the ArcGIS IPS engine and how to use it

Path snapping

Path snapping uses parts of the ArcGIS Indoors network dataset or manually created pathways that conform to the required schema to optimize real-time positioning in the IPS Setup app and other ArcGIS IPS-enabled apps.

Quality recording

Similar to a survey recording, a quality recording is a set of reference data created using the IPS Setup app that allows you to perform quality assessments in areas where ArcGIS IPS performance is suboptimal. In addition to including the data collected from a survey recording, a quality recording also contains estimated position information. Usually, multiple quality recordings must be created to properly cover the deployment area.

Survey

A survey is the process of collecting reference radio data (BLE or Wi-Fi) at an indoor site for the purpose of setting up ArcGIS IPS. This involves creating multiple survey recordings using the IPS Setup app and uploading the recordings to an editable feature service in your ArcGIS organization. A survey can be performed by a site owner, managers, GIS technicians, Esri implementation consultants, or a combination of all.

Survey point

A survey point, also known as a ground truth point, is a known location in an indoor space that has been confirmed in the IPS Setup app during the survey process.

Survey recording

A survey recording is a set of reference data created using the IPS Setup app. The recording includes a record of travel trajectories, ground truth points, and locations with their corresponding coordinates, time, and signal strength, as well as the device’s internal sensor data collected by traveling through a portion of a site. Usually, multiple recordings must be created to enable ArcGIS IPS throughout an entire site.