Barcelona, MWC 2019, Rende (CS) – February 25, 2019
GiPStech completes deployment of the first high-precision completely infrastructure-free navigation system at Tokyo Shinjuku metro station
At Shinjuku station in Tokyo, Japan, debuts the first high-precision localization and navigation service that does not require additional infrastructure installation. GiPStech continues therefore to produce valuable fruits that can be leveraged by consumers and firms.
Shinjuku station in Tokyo, with more than 3,6 million passengers per day, has been registered in the Guinness World Records as the busiest transportation hub globally. Needless to say, with 36 platforms, 200 exits and countless corridors and connections, it is easy to get lost in it, especially for foreigners and tourists. On the other hand, this scale and complexity makes it unfeasible to install Bluetooth or similar infrastructure to allow “standard” indoor localization. A problem difficult to solve for involved institutions, first of all for Japan’s Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism (MLIT) that has been proactively looking for an effective solution especially in anticipation of the 2020 Summer Olympics that will see an extra-ordinary influx of athletes and supporters from around the globe to Japan and Tokyo that will need to be guided in this complex environment.
GiPStech in collaboration with NTT DATA has supported the MLIT in designing, testing and implementing an indoor localization and navigation solution that does not require the installation of any infrastructure but still brings precision, stability and consistency to the users’ experience. By leveraging geomagnetic and Wi-Fi signals -both already “naturally” present in the station- and GiPStech’s proprietary indoor localization platform, the system will enable any Android smartphone user to locate him/herself in real time and get navigation instruction to the desired exit or platform. The localization deployment was tested and completed successfully and, in few months, a public Android mobile app will be ready to be used by all the station travelers. They will never get lost again!
The system, that will be available in the wide public space at Shinjuku station and include even the automatic station’s floor detection, complements the localization system recently installed by NTT DATA and GiPStech at Tokyo Narita Airport, and could be extended soon to other major logistic hubs.
At GiPStech we are not the first to pursue infrastructure-free indoor localization that is precise and works at scale but the incredible results achieved with this installation confirm that our technology indeed works where many other have failed before. Our experience assisting the MLIT is of great honor to us
This is the first deployment where a completely “infrastructure free” technology was used which means that no artificial hardware like beacons were installed. The public WIFI networks signals, already available in the station, were fused as an additional source in the leading GiPStech’s sensor-fusion platform to complement the inertial and geomagnetic engine and to deliver very accurate results across the entire station.
Download the PDF version of this press release from here.
GiPStech is a technology company – spinoff of Università della Calabria – devoted to indoor- and micro-localization that has developed a unique modular platform that in a “sensor fusion” approach collects inputs from multiple sensors, combines different proprietary localization technologies -among which the flagship geomagnetic localization- to deliver best results at low infrastructure. Award-winning, the company holds installations worldwide and license its technologies to top technology players. www.gipstech.com
NTT DATA is a leading IT services provider and global innovation partner headquartered in Tokyo, with business operations in over 50 countries. They are contractor of MLIT project in Japan. www.nttdata.com
