Terminology

Available for an ArcGIS organization licensed with the ArcGIS IPS extension.

The following terms are used in ArcGIS IPS.

Adaptive radio positioning

The support feature that addresses the disparity in radio sensitivity between iPhone and Android devices, which can lead to challenges in matching radio data collected on Android devices with positioning data from iOS devices. Variations in hardware across Android models often results in lower radio sensitivity compared to iPhone models. To improve positioning accuracy, adaptive radio positioning uses the geometric information from beacons, such as their positions.

ArcGIS IPS engine

The ArcGIS IPS engine is comprised of algorithms that power ArcGIS IPS and compute indoor positions from an indoor positioning data service, radio signals, and inertial measurements from the user device.

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

ArcGIS IPS Setup

ArcGIS IPS Setup is a mobile app (for Android and iOS) that is used to set up, troubleshoot, and maintain an ArcGIS IPS deployment.

Beacon

A beacon is a small radio device that continuously emits Bluetooth radio signals at a fixed transmission power and time interval. Each beacon is uniquely identified within a network by three key properties: UUID, Major, and Minor. These values, along with other relevant information, are encoded in the packets that the beacon transmits.

BLE (Bluetooth Low Energy)

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

Indoor positioning data service

An indoor positioning data service is a special type of portal item that contains indoor positioning data in the format required by the ArcGIS IPS engine to compute a position within an indoor environment. It is generated using the Share Indoor Positioning Data Service tool to share an IPS positioning dataset as a feature service.

Indoor positioning dataset

An indoor positioning dataset consists of the IPS Positioning Datasets feature class, IPS Positioning Points feature class and IPS Positioning Signals table.

Indoor Positioning System (IPS)

An Indoor Positioning System (IPS) is used to determine the location of objects or people within an indoor environment, similar to a Global Positioning System (GPS). Because GPS signals struggle to penetrate buildings and accurately provide indoor locations, IPS deployments rely on alternative technologies and infrastructure, such as Bluetooth beacons deployed inside a building.

IPS-aware map

IPS-aware maps use the indoor positioning capability to provide live positioning of the user’s current location on an indoor map. These maps reference an indoor positioning data service, a web feature service that contains data to support indoor positioning using ArcGIS IPS.

IPS positioning dataset

The IPS positioning dataset is a feature in the IPS Positioning Datasets feature class, along with its related IPS positioning points and IPS positioning signals. It represents the approximate spatial extent of a set of positioning data, specifically, the locations across an indoor environment (IPS positioning points) and the unique radio signatures received at these locations (IPS positioning signals).

Note:

An IPS positioning dataset is only intended for visualization and analysis in ArcGIS Pro. It must be converted and shared as an indoor positioning data service to be used for live positioning.

IPS Positioning Datasets

The IPS Positioning Datasets feature class in the ArcGIS IPS Information Model that stores IPS positioning datasets.

IPS Positioning Points

The IPS Positioning Points feature class in the ArcGIS IPS Information Model that is part of an indoor positioning dataset. Each point represents a location in an indoor environment, and each is associated with multiple IPS positioning signals.

IPS Positioning Signals

The IPS Positioning Signals table in the ArcGIS IPS Information Model that is part of an indoor positioning dataset. It describes the received signal strength indicator (RSSI) of either BLE or Wi-Fi transmitters deployed in an indoor environment at specific IPS positioning points.

IPS survey

An IPS survey is the process of sampling radio signal data (BLE or Wi-Fi) within an indoor environment. You can create survey recordings or quality recordings using the ArcGIS IPS Setup app.

Path snapping

Path snapping, a UX feature, when enabled, keeps the blue dot on the nearest indoor pathway within a specified distance that is configured for IPS use. Path snapping and snapping distance can be configured through the map properties.

Quality recording

A quality recording is a type of feature stored in the IPS Recordings feature class in the ArcGIS IPS Information Model. A quality recording is a survey recording that contains the data collected during the survey and the positions estimated in real time by the ArcGIS IPS engine. Quality recordings are used to perform quality assessments in areas where ArcGIS IPS performance is suboptimal, and they can be used to update the existing IPS positioning dataset.

Survey recording

A survey recording is a type of feature stored in the IPS Recordings feature class in the ArcGIS IPS Information Model. Its geometry represents the trajectory in the indoor environment that was surveyed using the ArcGIS IPS Setup app. The sampled radio data is written to a file that is attached to an IPS recording feature.