A geolocationing system and method for providing awareness in a multi-space environment, such as a hospitality environment or educational environment, are presented. In one embodiment of the geolocationing system, a vertical and horizontal array of gateway devices is provided. Each gateway device includes a gateway device identification providing an accurately-known fixed location within the multi-space environment. Each gateway device includes a wireless transceiver that receives a beacon signal from a proximate wireless-enabled personal locator device. The gateway devices, in turn, send gateway signals to a server, which determines an estimated location of the wireless-enabled personal locator device.

A non-transitory computer-readable medium includes instructions that when executed by a processor cause the processor to perform a method for identifying products from on-shelf sensors and image data. The method may include receiving data captured using a plurality of sensors positioned between at least part of a retail shelf and one or more products placed on the at least part of the retail shelf. The method may also include receiving an image of the at least part of the retail shelf and at least one of the one or more products. The method may also include analyzing the captured data and the image to determine a product type of the one or more products.

A sensing unit mounted at a venue can capture images of targets in the venue, and/or can sonically locate targets in the venue, and/or can read targets configured as radio frequency (RF) identification (RFID) tags in the venue. A control arrangement recognizes whether at least one of the targets is indicative of an emergency in the venue, and automatically executes a remedial action in response to the recognized emergency.

The present disclosure in some embodiments provides a route guidance method and apparatus for visitors in a venue using visible light communication, which generates recommended routes that pass through at least one common point of interest starting from current locations based on a guidance information received from a visible-light illumination device installed in the venue and an information on a current distribution of the visitors at respective places in the venue, and thereby allows the visitors to view exhibits more efficiently, while offering a positive guidance for the visitors to view some exhibits or one-off shows which might otherwise be missed out.

A sensing system includes a sensor with a computing system and a memory in communication with the computing system, the memory storing a plurality of endpoints. The computing system is configured to receive activity preferences from a device at an endpoint and further determines the likeability of the activities at the endpoint. Further, it receives semantic identification preferences from the device in communication with the computing system and the system blurs the corresponding semantic identities based on the received preferences.

Computer-implemented functionality is described herein for assisting a user in interacting with an environment. In one implementation, the functionality operates by: determining that a particular user is within a prescribed proximity to an electronic sign, or will be in prescribed proximity to the electronic sign, based on sensor information provided by one or more sensors within the environment; determining an identity of the user; determining at least one destination of the user based at least on calendar information; providing directions to the destination(s), to provide unfiltered direction information; optionally filtering the unfiltered direction information with respect to restriction information (e.g., privacy information, security information, etc.), to produce filtered direction information; composing sign information based on the filtered direction information; and sending the sign information to the electronic sign for presentation by the sign.

Systems and methods are provided for improved data integration in augmented reality devices. The systems and methods include obtaining contextual information associated with an individual and device information associated with an augmented reality device associated with the individual from the augmented reality device, obtaining a plurality of data sets associated with the individual or augmented reality device from a plurality of data sources, determining a subset of information from the data sets that is relevant to the individual or the augmented reality device wherein the relevancy of the subset of information is based on an analysis of the contextual information and the device information, generating display data based on the determined subset of information, providing the display data to the augmented reality device for display on the augmented reality device wherein a graphical overlay representative of the display data is displayed in front of the individual's field of view.

Systems and methods for planning location-sensitive probabilistic behavior based evacuation paths, in a building, from source nodes to sink nodes in a network of routes including a plurality of vertices and edges are disclosed. For example, input parameters including layouts, number of evacuees at each source node, transit time, predetermined time period and maximum capacity associated with each edge and vertex are received. Further, weak evacuation schedules at a state of the evacuees are defined based on the layouts of the building, number of evacuees, transit time and predetermined time period. Furthermore, a strong evacuation schedule is defined based on the weak evacuation schedules and maximum capacity associated with each edge and vertex. Moreover, a mapping is defined from the strong evacuation schedule to the weak evacuation schedules to obtain a probabilistic behavior model. Also, an evacuation path is planned, in real-time, based on the probabilistic behavior model.

A computer system that is adapted for: (A) displaying a geographical map on a display screen; (B) displaying a plurality of icons on the geographical map, each of which generally represents the current location of at least one individual; (C) allowing a user to select a group of the icons; and (D) after the user selects the group of icons, providing messaging functionality for allowing the user to send a common message to the respective portable computing devices of at least substantially all of the individuals who correspond to the selected group of icons. In particular embodiments, the system allows the user to send the message by executing a single activity, such as selecting a single button. The system may also be configured to approximate the current location of an individual based on the individual's current travel itinerary.

Embodiments of the present disclosure include an efficient and accurate method for presenting victim locations to emergency responders. The method disclosed can be used to track individuals still remaining in a building in case of an emergency. The method comprises determining a location for an individual by receiving a device identifier (e.g., combination of numbers and/or characters uniquely identifying a receiving device associated with the individual) and location information, received from one or more beacons, from the receiving device. The method comprises determining a first location associated with the receiving device based on the location information and/or the device identifier. The method comprises determining different locations associated with the individual as the individual moves and determining whether the individual is still within the building. The method comprises, displaying location information and instructions to reach the individual in case of an emergency.