In May, BD+C's blog partner, CASE, covered the rise of indoor positioning technology, and identified architectural applications for beacon technology.
BLE (Bluetooth low energy) beacons are small battery-powered devices that connect with tablets and phones that are in the immediate vicinity. This can enable businesses and other entities to send messages to users based on where they are in a certain space. Apple released the iBeacon in 2013, and the iOS8 update last summer made the innovation even stronger.
Mashable reports that Google will challenge Apple in this realm: The company unveiled Eddystone, a new BLE beacon format, along with tools that will let developers create apps along with the service. Google named the beacon after the Eddy Lighthouse in England, and the company has drawn the parallels between new beacon technology and classic guiding lighthouses.
Unlike iBeacon, which is only compatible with iDevices, Eddystone is cross-platform and discoverable by any Bluetooth smart device. It is open-source so any beacon manufacturer can make hardware compatible with it.
Though beacons usually broadcast information publicly, Eddystone has the option to communicate privately as well. The privacy feature, called Ephemeral Identifiers (EIDs), lets users track their luggage while traveling and find their keys, for instance.
For developers, Google released two new APIs. The Nearby API connects apps with other close devices and beacons; for example, users at an art museum can receive additional facts about a piece or display over their phones. The Proximity Beacon API allows developers to associate semantic location with beacons and store it in the cloud.
Eddystone is available on GitHub under the Apache v2.0 license. Google says Eddystone can be installed with a firmware update.
Related Stories
| Jun 11, 2018
Accelerate Live! talk: The smart jobsite — Predictive visual data analytics for proactive project controls
In this 15-minute talk at BD+C’s Accelerate Live! conference (May 10, 2018, Chicago), a trio of experts in predictive visual data analytics presents how design-build giant Clayco has leveraged this technology to achieve production efficiency on several construction sites.
| Jun 11, 2018
Accelerate Live! talk: ‘AEC can has Blockchains?’
In this 15-minute talk at BD+C’s Accelerate Live! conference (May 10, 2018, Chicago), HOK’s Greg Schleusner explores how the AEC industry could adapt the best ideas from other industries (banking, manufacturing, tech) to modernize inefficient design and construction processes.
| May 30, 2018
Accelerate Live! talk: Seven technologies that restore glory to the master builder
In this 15-minute talk at BD+C’s Accelerate Live! conference (May 10, 2018, Chicago), AEC technophile Rohit Arora outlines emerging innovations that are poised to transform how we design and build structures in the near future.
| May 30, 2018
Accelerate Live! talk: Why the AEC industry must adapt to the Internet of Things boom
In this 15-minute talk at BD+C’s Accelerate Live! conference (May 10, 2018, Chicago), building systems expert Jeff Carpenter explores established and emerging IoT applications for commercial and institutional buildings, and offers a technology roadmap for navigating the IoT landscape.
Sponsored | | May 24, 2018
Water treatment facility renovation benefits from laser scanning technology
BIM and Information Technology | Apr 5, 2018
Tech Report 5.0: Why wait for 3D renderings?
With emerging real-time rendering tools, project teams can design and render on the fly, for enhanced collaboration and resource savings. But the software comes with a catch.
Building Technology | Mar 1, 2018
Small construction businesses will continue to lag other sectors in tech spending this year
A survey of 800 companies found tepid interest overall in investing in “big data.”
BD+C University Course | Jan 2, 2018
The art and science of rendering: Visualization that sells architecture [AIA course]
3D artist Ramy Hanna offers guidelines and tricks-of-the-trade to ensure that project artwork is a stunning depiction of the unbuilt space.
Giants 400 | Dec 14, 2017
Top 85 BIM construction firms
Turner Construction Co., Gilbane Building Co., and The Whiting-Turner Contracting Co. top BD+C’s ranking of the nation’s largest BIM contractors and CM firms, as reported in the 2017 Giants 300 Report.
