Thanks to the smartphone, we have all got accustomed to the GPS system which helps us navigate and find our way through. We need not stop to ask the locals for direction when your phone helps us find the best route to our desired location. This GPS navigation can be conducted successfully only outdoors, with an internet connection, and radio signals. The major drawback of this system is that it is only beneficial in outdoor spaces with a constant internet connection. It does not help in an enclosed structure or if you have run out of your data pack. Microsoft Path Guide enables navigational guide even in such a situation.
GPS navigation in the smartphone is one of the biggest boons by technology as even in an unknown city, you can find your way through or even be aware if your cab driver is taking you on the right way or not. Due to such factors, navigation can literally be a lifesaver at times. But what if you are walking in a crowded where there are people everyone and you finding though way through the human flood? The Microsoft Path Guide works even in such crowded despite the lack of adequate network signals.
Currently, Microsoft Path Guide is solely an Android-based app
How will the Microsoft Path Guide help navigate?
Microsoft Path Guide is a research-based application which provides plug-and-play indoor navigation services at a considerably low cost. The only outside source the navigation app depends on is the “leader”. This leader is another user who has already been in the desired location. Due to this, he can guide the other user as well. With the help of the leader, the user need not rely on faulty GPS services or a slow data connection to guide him to the location. This is because walls usually block the GPS signals due to which it only works outdoors.
Currently, Microsoft Path Guide is solely an Android-based app. But its success might lead to the launch of its iOS version as well. The navigation app makes the most of the intelligent sensing which is already available in smartphones. The user has to simply install the app without the need for indoor maps or Wi-Fi routers. The app strictly follows the peer-to-peer leader model. A user can start recording his route in an indoor space and stop it when he reaches the location. The record sensor saves this data for later use by another user who wishes to go to the same location. If someone else has been to where you aim to go, he can give you a step-by-step navigation.
