"Indoor positioning systems" are getting closer to reality, placing products at your fingertips by tracking them down within the store.
A company called PointInside is mapping stores for just this sort of location-enabling searching. Joe Francica talks with Brian Wilson, vice president of marketing for PointInside, about how it works:
"We've created a proprietary software tool that allows us, after gathering point of interest (POI) and other data about the space, to rapidly produce a geospatially accurate map of the defined geography. Also note the mapping tool does not limit us to indoor venues; we could just as easily map a theme park or college campus, et cetera."
The tool reportedly has an accuracy of 5-30 meters.
FULL STORY: Location-enabling Your Grocery Store: Indoor Positioning Locates Your Favorite Peanut Butter and More
How Smaller Supermarkets Could Transform American Communities
Bigger is not always better.
One Weird Trick for Eliminating Food Deserts
How enforcing one federal law, ignored since the 1980s, could bring back small grocers and ensure more people have convenient access to fresh foods.
Even in ‘Food Deserts,’ Independent Grocers Struggle to Survive
Government support has helped open stores in underserved communities, but cost and scale make it difficult for small businesses to survive long-term.
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
Chicago’s Ghost Rails
Just beneath the surface of the modern city lie the remnants of its expansive early 20th-century streetcar system.
Amtrak Cutting Jobs, Funding to High-Speed Rail
The agency plans to cut 10 percent of its workforce and has confirmed it will not fund new high-speed rail projects.
Ohio Forces Data Centers to Prepay for Power
Utilities are calling on states to hold data center operators responsible for new energy demands to prevent leaving consumers on the hook for their bills.
MARTA CEO Steps Down Amid Citizenship Concerns
MARTA’s board announced Thursday that its chief, who is from Canada, is resigning due to questions about his immigration status.
Silicon Valley ‘Bike Superhighway’ Awarded $14M State Grant
A Caltrans grant brings the 10-mile Central Bikeway project connecting Santa Clara and East San Jose closer to fruition.
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
Caltrans
City of Fort Worth
Mpact (founded as Rail~Volution)
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
City of Portland
City of Laramie