About Beacons

iBeacon is a protocol developed by Apple and introduced at the Apple Worldwide Developers Conference in 2013. Various vendors have since made iBeacon-compatible hardware transmitters - typically called beacons - a class of Bluetooth low energy (BLE) devices that broadcast their identifier to nearby portable electronic devices. The technology enables smartphones, tablets and other devices to perform actions when in close proximity to an iBeacon.
via Wikipedia

2014

**To state the obvious **

Modern, smartphone-toting humans spend most of their time indoors. – But indoor spaces often block cell signals and make it nearly impossible to locate devices via GPS. Beacons are a solution. via Business Insider

and Beyond iBeacons: 7 cool uses of beacons you may not expect

  • Identify passengers stuck in airport security
  • Remember to take out the garbage
  • Track things smarter
  • Authorize access to cars, buildings, and more
  • Navigate buildings and other spaces
  • Check out ski conditions at the lift
  • Provide smarter signage

2015

A few of ideas

  • Navigating buildings and spaces – use beacons as a virtual map or show helpful information
  • Indoor and underwater Geo-locating – GPS works great outside, but inside a multi-storey building beacons can help
  • Analyze how people move through a space to identify footfall, hotspots or heat-maps
  • Transport – smart bus stops, underground stations
  • Present information in context to location – show information about the nearby museum piece that is being admired
  • Give your visitors live information – queuing times, online bookings, special offers
  • Advertising – provide special offers to frequent visitors
  • Smart signage – auto translate advertisements or visitor information based on smartphone settings
  • Tracking assets and stock – follow the movement of large items around warehouse or hospitals
  • Distributed networks – some newer types of beacon are even able to communicate with each other to act as wireless access points
  • Healthcare environments – access authorization, patient tracking and monitoring

A Brief Guide to Bluetooth iBeacons and It Can be Used in Healthcare

**To state the future **
More IoT/Sensors

Beacons vs. XYZ

++ to be continued / draft #1 ++