Gatwick has installed 2,000
indoor navigation beacons, which it says will enable augmented reality
wayfinding at the airport. The London airport says that the beacons provide an
indoor navigation system which is much more reliable than GPS, enabling third
parties, airlines and the airport itself to develop augmented reality
wayfinding tools within their apps. Gatwick said that the new navigation
technology is currently being integrated into some of the airport’s apps, and
it is in discussions with airlines for them to do the same.
Examples of how the technology
could be used include sending out reminders to late running passengers, or
finding out their location in order to make an informed decision on whether to
wait or offload their luggage so the aircraft can take off on time. The airport
stressed that airlines would need the consent of the passenger to do this,
adding that 'No personal data will be collected by Gatwick although generic
information on people densities in different beacon zones may help to improve
airport operations.
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