Pointr, headquartered in London, is a global technology leader in indoor location. Pointr wins six-figure contract to supply Deep Location technology at two of the United States’ largest airports.

The Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority (MWAA) has awarded Pointr, the Deep Location Company, a six-figure contract to provide indoor location GPS for Washington Dulles International (IAD) and Ronald Reagan Washington National (DCA).

Pointr’s Deep Location technology aims to enhance the passenger experience at each airport by directing people to the correct queue and gate. Smartphones collect and process signals emitted by Bluetooth sensors installed around the airport for navigation.

“As we began the competitive process for a wayfinding technology for our airports, we knew we wanted a company with the experience and expertise to implement Bluetooth technology at two of the nation’s most important airports,” said Goutam Kundu, Chief Information Officer for MWAA.

“We are excited to work with the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority and provide indoor navigation technology to both Washington Dulles International and Ronald Reagan Washington National Airports. Aviation is a key sector for Pointr as airports, due to their scale and size, are challenging environments for traditional wayfinding” said Paul Dupont, VP of Sales at Pointr.

The UK’s second busiest airport, Gatwick, has opted for the approach to power an indoor navigation system it’s launching as part of a wider, multi-year transformation program.

It’s now finished kitting out its two terminals with around 2,000 battery-powered beacons so that digital map users will get a more accurate blue dot as they wander around. The beacon system will also be used to power an augmented reality wayfinding tool (pictured above) — so that mobile users will be able to be guided to specific locations within the terminals via on-screen arrows. The beacon system is slated as supporting positioning with +/-3m accuracy.

Gatwick is planning to integrate indoor positioning into some of its apps, and says it’s in discussions with airlines to tap into it for their own apps and services — giving example of them being able to send push notifications to warn passengers if they’re running late, or even make a decision on whether or not to wait or offload luggage so an aircraft can take off on time.