Accuware Wearabouts app for iPhone and iPad

Wearabouts is a system able to locate iOS mobile devices indoors. Wearabouts is intended for business applications that require precise indoor location.

HOW IT WORKS

Wearabouts components include this iOS app, a cloud-based server with an API and an online dashboard.

The app must be installed on devices to be located. These can be any iOS device such as smart phones and tablets. The device must have a cellular phone interface to enable communication with the server. Note that Bluetooth must be enabled, and an internet connection must be available for locating to occur.

To follow a devices movements indoors, the device must be registered with a specific venue (a site). Registration consists in entering the devices identifier on the sites dashboard. The Device ID is a unique value generated by the app upon being installed on a device.

The Wearabouts app scans ambient iBeacons signals and uploads this data to the cloud-based server. The server can then determine the devices location within the site. The devices WGS 84 location coordinates are available to external applications through a RESTful API, and can be displayed on Accuwares online dashboard. Note that the app simply uploads data, and does not receive any information about its location.

Accuwares server determines devices locations indoors by interpolating data from uploaded scans into a database of ambient signal fingerprints for that site. The database is created by fingerprinting ambient signals from iBeacons across the venue. Note that fingerprinting a site is required for indoor tracking.

The dashboard enables viewing devices current locations and sending Push Notifications to them. Upon receiving a Push Notification, the device scans and uploads the data, enabling its position to be determined by the server.

To ease troubleshooting, the app provides a detailed log, which can be uploaded to Accuware TechSupport. Debugging is enabled/disabled by tapping the apps main screen five times within three seconds. While in debugging mode, the display shows the current configuration in an abbreviated format.

CONFIGURATION

Accuware provides an online dashboard to configure and manage a site and the devices.

Devices to be located must be registered with a site. The Device ID generated by the Wearabouts app upon installation is used for registration.

Once a device is registered, the dashboard enables selecting and maintaining device-specific configuration parameters that control how frequently the app performs a scan and uploads data to the server.

A sites fingerprints are visualized and maintained through the online dashboard.

PRIVACY

Wearabouts users must opt-in to be located. Once the devices ID is registered with a site, its user must explicitly start the app by pressing the Start Operation button for the system to locate it. Stopping the app disables locating.

Note that the unique Device ID provides no ability to otherwise identify the device, thereby addressing any privacy concerns.