Indoor Positioning System

The Haltian Inventory Tracking Solution (HITS) provides real-time indoor positioning for tracking assets and devices within buildings. The system uses Wirepas mesh networks and RSSI-based patented positioning algorithms to calculate device positions, delivering location data through the platform’s standard APIs. Energy-harvesting locators enable wireless installation with no changes to existing buildings or networks.

How Positioning Works

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flowchart TB
    subgraph North["fa:fa-desktop Applications"]
        Finder["Haltian Finder"]
        Studio["Haltian IoT Studio"]
        Custom["Custom Applications"]
    end

    subgraph Cloud["fa:fa-cloud Haltian IoT Cloud"]
        Ingest["Ingestion"]
        PosEngine["Haltian Positioning Engine"]
        Store["Data Store"]
        StreamAPI["Stream API<br/><i>MQTT</i>"]
        ServiceAPI["Service API<br/><i>GraphQL</i>"]
        DataAPI["Data API<br/><i>Parquet</i>"]
        Ingest --> PosEngine --> Store
        Store --> StreamAPI
        Store --> ServiceAPI
        Store --> DataAPI
    end

    subgraph GW["fa:fa-server Gateway"]
        Sink["Wirepas Sink"]
        Proc["Gateway Processor<br/><i>CBOR → JSON</i>"]
        Sink --> Proc
    end

    subgraph South["fa:fa-broadcast-tower Positioning Infrastructure"]
        direction LR
        L1["EH Locator<br/><i>Router mode</i>"]
        L2["EH Locator<br/><i>Beacon mode</i>"]
        L3["EH Locator<br/><i>Router mode</i>"]
    end

    subgraph Tags["fa:fa-tag Tracked Devices"]
        direction LR
        T1["NANO Tag"]
        T2["NANO Tag"]
        T3["NANO Tag"]
    end

    T1 & T2 & T3 -->|"BLE DA<br/>broadcast"| L1 & L2 & L3
    L1 & L3 -->|"Wirepas Mesh<br/>AES-128"| Sink
    Proc -->|"LTE / Ethernet<br/>TLS"| Ingest
    StreamAPI & ServiceAPI & DataAPI --> Finder & Studio & Custom

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    style South fill:#ffffff,stroke:#143633,stroke-width:2px,color:#143633
    style Tags fill:#ffffff,stroke:#143633,stroke-width:2px,color:#143633
    style PosEngine fill:#73F9C1,stroke:#143633,stroke-width:2px,color:#143633
    style L1 fill:#F6FAFA,stroke:#143633,stroke-width:2px,color:#143633
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    style StreamAPI fill:#F6FAFA,stroke:#143633,stroke-width:2px,color:#143633
    style ServiceAPI fill:#F6FAFA,stroke:#143633,stroke-width:2px,color:#143633
    style DataAPI fill:#F6FAFA,stroke:#143633,stroke-width:2px,color:#143633
    style Finder fill:#F6FAFA,stroke:#143633,stroke-width:2px,color:#143633
    style Studio fill:#F6FAFA,stroke:#143633,stroke-width:2px,color:#143633
    style Custom fill:#F6FAFA,stroke:#143633,stroke-width:2px,color:#143633

Position calculation follows five steps:

1. Locators beacon — EH Locators (both beacon-mode and router-mode) transmit periodic beacon signals
2. Tag listens — A NANO Tag attached to an asset wakes and listens, measuring RSSI (Received Signal Strength Indicator) from each locator in range
3. Tag packages — The tag packages all collected RSSI measurements into a single Wirepas DA (Direct Advertisement) message
4. Data forwarded — The tag sends the DA message to a nearby router-mode locator, which forwards it through the Wirepas mesh to the gateway and on to the Haltian Positioning Engine
5. Position calculated — The Haltian Positioning Engine calculates the tag’s coordinates from the RSSI values using patented positioning algorithms. The position is delivered via MQTT (real-time), GraphQL (query), or Parquet (historical export)

System Components

The positioning system requires three hardware components. Each has its own detailed documentation page.

Use Cases

Where Is My Equipment Right Now?

Tags on equipment and tools report their position while being moved between workstations. Staff locate assets instantly through the Finder app or custom applications, reducing search times across the facility.

Which Section Holds Each Asset?

Real-time position tracking across warehouse floors provides visibility into asset utilization. Zone-based tracking identifies which section holds each item, enabling real-time inventory management and minimizing equipment downtime.

Positioning Modes

Haltian IoT provides two complementary approaches to location tracking:

Precise Positioning (Coordinates)

Returns calculated coordinates based on RSSI positioning, available as global WGS84 coordinates (latitude/longitude). Each position includes an accuracy estimate in meters. Use for map visualization, movement tracking, and heat maps.

Zone-Based Positioning

Reports which named zone (room, area) contains the device, based on zone polygon boundaries configured in the platform. Returns zone name, identifier, entry timestamp, and detection confidence. Use for room-level tracking and occupancy by area.

Coordinate Systems

Accuracy

Positioning accuracy depends on the number and placement of EH Locators, physical environment, and tag reporting frequency.

Factors that reduce accuracy:

• Insufficient locator density (fewer than 3 locators in range)
• Metal obstructions and thick concrete walls blocking RF signals
• Low tag battery reducing transmission power or update frequency

Deployment

Required Components

Installation Guidelines

• Mount EH Locators at a minimum height of 2.5 m from the floor
• Avoid metal surfaces and obstructions that block RF signals
• Deploy locators following the Locator Grid — the recommended maximum spacing between devices for optimal positioning accuracy
• No wires or changes to existing buildings required — EH Locators harvest power from indoor lighting
• The system operates independently and does not interfere with existing IT networks

Security

Tags and locators have no IP connectivity and are not addressable from the internet. They communicate exclusively through the Wirepas mesh radio, with the gateway as the only internet-facing component.

Accessing Position Data

Position data is available through all three Haltian IoT APIs:

Two measurement types carry position data: position (precise coordinates with accuracy) and position_zone (zone name, type, and confidence).

For built-in visualization, Haltian Finder provides device search and interactive floor plan maps. Infrastructure is configured through Haltian IoT Studio.

Next Steps

• Location Tracking Guide — Implementation guide with GraphQL queries, MQTT streaming, and Python code examples
• Haltian NANO Tag — Tag specifications and configuration
• Haltian EH Locator — Locator specifications and installation
• Data Model — Space hierarchy, zones, and device placement
• Wirepas Mesh — Underlying mesh network architecture
• Haltian Finder — Asset search and location visualization