Glossary Updates12 new terms added to the glossaries · October 2, 2026, 22:44 CEST
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Glossary · Industrial wireless and positioning

Indoor positioning

Also known as: Indoor positioning system (IPS), Indoor localization, Real-time locating system (RTLS)

German: Innenraumpositionierung

In industrial automation and logistics, indoor positioning is the determination of the location of people, vehicles, tools or goods inside buildings, where satellite navigation doesn't work, using technologies such as ultra-wideband, Bluetooth Low Energy, Wi-Fi, 5G, optical or magnetic methods.

  • Industrial wireless

In one sentence

Indoor positioning locates people, vehicles and goods inside buildings with UWB, BLE, Wi-Fi, 5G or optical methods.

Example

UWB tags on load carriers let the warehouse system show where each carrier is within about 30 cm, so forklift drivers stop searching.

How it applies

  • Engineering: Technologies differ in accuracy, cost and infrastructure: Ultra-wideband (UWB) reaches decimeter accuracy with dedicated anchors; BLE is cheaper but less precise; Wi-Fi and 5G can reuse communication infrastructure. The required accuracy and update rate drive the choice.
  • Commissioning: Anchors are surveyed and calibrated; accuracy is verified on site, because metal structures and moving goods affect results.
  • Data protection: Tracking people is personal data processing. Works councils, data protection rules and transparent purposes are required before employees are located.
  • Documentation: The documentation team states accuracy under defined conditions, update rates, coverage areas and the purpose of the data. Positioning data shouldn't be presented as a safety function unless the system has been designed and validated for that.

Indoor positioning vs. RTLS

Indoor positioning describes the capability. A real-time locating system (RTLS) is a complete system that continuously tracks tagged objects and provides the positions to applications.

By knowledge.aitechdoc.world · Published September 26, 2026 · Last reviewed

Source: AI TechDoc Knowledge editorial definition, based on industrial positioning practice

Definitions follow the cited standards and specifications. Where a source is a copyrighted publication, such as an ISO, IEC or EN standard, the definition is a close paraphrase, not a verbatim quotation, so as not to infringe copyright. We recommend reading the original publication. The sections “How it applies” are editorial commentary by AI TechDoc Knowledge and are not part of any standard.

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