Filling In the GPS Gaps

When a system like GPS becomes extremely popular and widespread in a short amount of time, it is easy to focus on its abilities. There are so many ways that GPS enhances our daily lives that we aren’t even aware of all of them. We take it for granted that we can tell our dashboard navigator where we want to go and it will lead us to the doorstep, however remote it might be. We assume that our smartphone will orient us in our precise location and direction, pointing us toward a new restaurant we want to try. But sometimes we come up against a shortcoming that takes us by surprise. If your destination is in deep in an urban area, for example, you might find your navigator getting confused. And as soon as you walk inside that new restaurant, your smartphone is likely to forget completely where you are. These GPS gaps are the next frontier for some groundbreaking technology developers.

An Example from Sports

Football teams across the U.S. have adopted GPS as a powerful training tool. A transmitter attached to a player’s jersey records a dizzying amount of data during practice, which helps coaches keep track of each player’s distance, average speed, and other important statistics. This routine has provided immense benefits on the practice field, but typical sports arenas are a global positioning system’s worst nightmare. The playing field is surrounded by high walls that interrupt a transmitter’s signal unless the satellite is directly overhead. Some stadiums even have retractable roofs that close during poor weather, cutting off access to satellites altogether. Is there a solution for coaches who want to gather activity data during games and stadium practice sessions?

The Locata Corporation has one. This Australia-based company focuses on the gaps in GPS coverage—indoor, urban, and other difficult areas. Their products also promise “backup” service in the event of a GPS failure. Locata has developed the following products, among others:

• An indoor locator that mimics GPS navigation for indoor vehicle crash testing


• A network that allows Air Force planes to navigate near their base even when GPS signal is intentionally jammed


• A gold mine navigation system


• “Safety net” navigation system in Sydney Harbor, providing accurate location signal in case GPS fails


• Athlete recording system that works within stadiums and indoor arenas

Not Global, but Local

Although users will inevitably refer to indoor positioning systems as “GPS,” they function using totally different technology. Instead of communicating with satellites above the earth, transmitters and receivers will connect with devices strategically placed around the designated area. This area could be as small as a floor of an office building or as large as Sydney Harbor.

The Locata Corporation hopes to gain a reputation as the world’s leader in local positioning technology. Here are the highlights of the company’s development thus far:

1994	Locata Corporation is founded
1997	Locata turns focus toward filling “GPS gaps”
2012	Contract with U.S. Air Force to construct positioning network at White Sands Missile Range

In order to fit as closely as possible with existing positioning technology, Locata hopes to build transmitters and receivers that will work seamlessly with GPS. In theory, a device such as a smartphone could use GPS when it is available, then switch to an indoor positioning network when necessary—all without the user being aware of the change. The devices built by Locata are still large and expensive, but the company’s founder anticipates that they will follow the example of GPS devices and quickly shrink in physical size and price. Before too many years are past, even the gaps in GPS coverage may disappear.

Getting Around the Stadium

Athletes, their coaches, and training staff members aren’t the only people who could benefit from a local positioning network inside a sports arena. Gift vendors, food stands, first aid stations, and restrooms are all ideal candidates for quick location by spectators, although GPS in its current form is not up to the task when an overhead roof is involved. Even finding your seats may someday be a simple matter of following an arrow on your smartphone display, just as you do when driving your car.

One major drawback, at least at first, is the fact that Locata’s system must be installed on an individual basis. Each shopping mall, stadium, skyscraper, and airport would have to invest in its own system, and it could be quite some time before the idea catches on sufficiently to serve users on a large scale. It may be that we are in for a technology race between two ideas: the local positioning network and a smaller, simpler device that could extend traditional GPS into indoor areas. The first invention to gain widespread use will certainly reap incredible benefits for its producers as it fills in those troublesome “GPS gaps.”

Filling In the GPS Gaps