There are several types of positioning systems, including:
- Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS): These include popular systems like GPS (Global Positioning System) in the US, GLONASS in Russia, BeiDou in China, and Galileo in Europe.
- Accuracy: around 5-10 meters (16-33 feet) under open sky conditions.
- Cellular positioning systems: These rely on the mobile network infrastructure and triangulate the user’s location based on the signal strength of nearby cell towers.
- Accuracy: around 5-10 meters (16-33 feet) under open sky conditions.
- Wi-Fi positioning systems: These use Wi-Fi signals to determine the location of a device based on the signal strength of nearby Wi-Fi access points.
- Accuracy: between 3 to 5 meters in indoor environments.
- Bluetooth positioning systems: These use Bluetooth signals to determine the location of a device based on the signal strength of nearby Bluetooth beacons.
- Accuracy: between 1 to 3 meters in in ideal conditions.
- Inertial Navigation Systems (INS): These use accelerometers and gyroscopes to track changes in velocity and direction to estimate the position of the device.
- Accuracy: between 0.1% to 0.01% of the distance traveled.
- Visual positioning systems: These use visual markers or features in the environment to determine the position of the device. Examples include augmented reality and computer vision systems.
- Accuracy: between few centimeters to several meters.
- Magnetic positioning systems: These use the Earth’s magnetic field to determine the orientation and position of the device.
- Accuracy: between few meters to tens of meters, generally less accurate than GNSS.
- Ultrasonic positioning systems: These use ultrasonic waves to determine the location of a device based on the time it takes for the waves to travel between the device and nearby sensors or beacons.
- Accuracy: between 1 to 2 centimeters.
There may also be other types of positioning systems depending on the specific application and requirements.