IndoorAtlas Maps Buildings With Magnetic Fields

May-22-14 The IndoorAtlas app uses a building's magnetic fingerprint to create a map of its interior accurate to just a few feet—and it's being aimed at large shopping centers.

The IndoorAtlas app takes advantage of the fact that most modern buildings contain some degree of steel, which distorts the Earth's magnetic field in a way unique for each building. Most modern smartphones are able to detect and record these magnetic variations, which allows a building's fingerprint to be determined by overlaying a map of its floor plan on a Google map and then walking through the building with a smartphone. The data is stored in the cloud, allowing anyone with access to the map to navigate the building's interior using their smartphone's compass.

The IndoorAtlas app is already being used by some stores in Finland, and the company hopes that the U.S. big box retailers will soon follow.

More Info about this Invention:

[GIZMODO.COM]
[INDOOR ATLAS]

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