Modern transit systems, especially in smart cities, struggle to manage passenger volumes and guarantee safety. Smart beacons have low-energy Bluetooth connectivity that offers several solutions, allowing citizens to move through heavy traffic, intricate spaces, and overwhelming crowds. They also help people to explore unknown outdoor areas near them by sending real-time information.
Indoor and outdoor routing assistance
Smart beacons offer accurate positioning in indoor environments through places like malls, airports, museums, and hospitals, where GPS signals are weak or unavailable. Users receive real-time updates and directions, providing efficient navigation to specific stores, gates, or facilities. In 2013, Apple promoted Bluetooth Low Energy beacon usage, launching iBeacon technology as part of iOS 7. This project paved the way for various retail, museum, and event management applications. For outdoor movements, smart beacons help pedestrians find their way in bustling city streets, offering turn-by-turn guidance and alerts about local events or points of interest.
What do the smart beacons offer?
- Decisive advantages for projects dependent on high accuracy
- Indoor navigation for hotels, offices, airline passengers, and others
- Tracking paths and people in retail, business premises, shopping malls, campuses, and other places through iSOS applications
- Include localization, points of interest, visitor traffic, and creating heat maps
- Trace location in parks, city streets, and tourist areas, ensuring they stay oriented
- Trigger information about historical sites, local events, or attractions
Wayfinding for visually impaired people
Visually impaired people have been restricted in many ways from exploring a city until now. The beacon technology’s city app assists them with directions and helps them interact with spaces independently.
Movement flexibility and space information
- They are able to access restaurants, transportation, and various entertainment spot options that were difficult to reach before.
- Moreover, street information like pedestrian crossings, intersections, and any other information are traced using them
- In a confined area like a railway station, they give an introduction to entering the station, which gives an idea of their surroundings
- Wayfindr collaborated with Transport for London in 2017 to create a standardized system using smart beacons in the London transport network. It focused on improving navigation for visually impaired commuters. In addition, it provided audio information about routes and nearby facilities.
Improved driving, public transport, and parking
One of the major concerns of dwelling in a metro city or working there is finding spaces to park, and to drive seamlessly in the city. The beacon installation helps smart cities in addressing this issue. Some of the leading companies in the Bluetooth Low Energy beacon market including kontakt.io, Bluvision, and Estimote have significantly contributed to assisting urban traffic organization.
Route updates, traffic management, delays and detours
- Drivers are made aware of accidents, congestion, or construction and provide an alternative track.
- Parking garages utilize beacons to understand the number of parking areas that are present on different levels.
- Beacons also assess the traffic arrangements in the metropolis and collect significant data that reflect on necessities like adding lanes or widening roads.
- In 2020, The San Francisco Bay Area launched a Connected City Initiative that included smart beacons to enhance public transport. This project focused on improving communication between transit agencies and commuters, providing timely updates on services.
- By sending precise updates, they help passengers to move through intricate transit hubs. Siemens worked in Copenhagen to deploy smart beacons for traffic management in 2017. This collaboration focused on enhancing driving routes and optimizing traffic flow by providing real-time data to drivers about road conditions and congestion.
- This significantly minimizes confusion and waiting time.
- Updates regarding delays, detours, and service changes make sure that travelers remain informed and stay connected throughout the journey.
Maximized public safety and crowd management
Protecting visitors and residents is a top priority, and it’s easier with beacon installations. Emergency personnel better pinpoint the location of a person who calls in by installing beacons around the city, especially the remote or crime-ridden locations.
Identifying traffic patterns, dwell times, and congestion levels
- Intel installed beacons in Barcelona that provide safety information and emergency alerts to pedestrians. This 2019 initiative focused on increasing awareness of potential hazards and improving navigation through busy urban environments.
- Moreover, beacons offer valuable information on foot traffic patterns, dwell times, and congestion levels in public spaces.
- Strategic placements at entrances and exits, important areas, and other points organize footfalls and significantly reduce human congestion.
In the developing world, more than half of the economic growth is expected to come from cities across the globe. At present, around 1.3 million people are immigrating to cities in a week. 65% of the total population is projected to settle in cities worldwide by 2040. This rapid urbanization across the globe is expected to increase the demand for beacons and eventually contribute to the expansion of the smart beacon market globally.
The bottom line
With cities growing at breakneck speed, smart beacons are expected to help function efficiently and manage public movements effectively. BLE beacons are cost-effective and energy-efficient IoT solutions that are anticipated to provide customized suggestions for passengers’ requirements and interests. The selection of the appropriate beacons and the optimal configuration of their parameters are important factors for successful application deployment.
✍ **𝑨𝒓𝒕𝒊𝒄𝒍𝒆 𝒘𝒓𝒊𝒕𝒆𝒓: Saranya Ganguly
Author’s Bio:
Saranya Ganguly is a B2B writer with extensive experience in crafting research-driven content. Her interests concern sustainability, BFSI, and technology. The knack for blending insights and statistics with creative flair motivates her to deliver engaging, and impactful write-ups. She specializes in web articles, newsletters, promotional pieces, and LinkedIn briefs, helping businesses articulate their brand voice and value propositions. A master’s degree holder in English and Commonwealth Literature, Saranya enjoys reading in her free time. When not writing, she dabbles in photography and fine art.