How it works
Overview
The ODIN system requires locations to be fitted with lighthouses and Maps before the system is able to work. Lighthouses are then able to talk to a users Ship and work out their exact location before plotting it onto the Map which in turn feeds the information back to the user.
Users are only able to be tracked through their Ships, which need to talk to a Lighthouse, if the user leaves a Ship somewhere the system has no way of being able to locate them.
ODIN is then adapted into two modes; Guidance and Standby mode.
Standby mode
In Standby Mode, the user has not selected a location but essentially walks around freely- however, the system is still active and making sure they are safe. If a user walks into a location that is deemed to have hazards; such as a train platform, the system will still send alerts when the user approaches these hazards.
Guidance mode
In guidance mode the user is able to ask, through voice command interface, for a specific location; such as a shop name for a room number. The map of their current location is then loaded and a path generated to their required destination. Upon their arrival the system goes back into standby mode until told.
Ships, Lighthouses and Maps!
The ODIN system is split into three individual parts working together to make the system work:
Ships
Ships are small devices that are worn by a users. This is the trackable device that ODIN locks onto and integrates users onto the system. Ships are “dumb” devices that connect to a user’s mobile phone (See FAQ). These Devices are also not location-bound* and are able to pass and interact with any location fitted with the ODIN system, automatically logging onto the system and beginning tracking as soon as the locations map is uploaded.
*Ships owned by a location will trigger an alarm if they leave the location they belong to and will fail to connect to any new systems.
Lighthouses
Unlike Ships, Lighthouses are fixed to one position and communicate with all other lighthouses at their location. These lighthouses speak to Ships and learn their current location. To gain such accuracy all lighthouses are connected together using a cable that connects them to the ODIN server; which they send and receive data from, as well as their power supply. This means that if a Lighthouse goes offline a technician simply unplugs it and plugs in its replacement, the system is then rebooted and the new Lighthouse brought online.
Maps
Maps are the internal system that the ship’s location is plotted on. Maps are designed and created individually for each location and are created using the locations BIM. If a location is unable to provide accurate modelling of the location, ODIN can self plot itself-however this does take additional time.
This allows us to make our virtual world counterpart of a location as accurate to its real world equivalent as possible- this is vital as it allows us to gain the levels of accuracy that our system requires in order to help keep our users safe.
Maps are kept as part of the ODIN application that runs on a user’s phone, with new maps being periodically updated on the app. However, the maps themselves are very small data packs, helping to ensure the application is not heavy on the users mobile phone memory.
Maps are updated with warning areas such as platform edges or staircases, as well as each room/store/point of interest in the location and a set designated help points. If a location is conducting large scale renovations or changes centre staff will need to alert the ODIN team so that these amendments can be added to the location’s ODIN map.
Maps also contain our geo fence. This is a system that causes an trigger to activate (such as an alarm) if a Ship leaves an area that it shouldn’t, for example if a vulnerable persons leaves a shopping centre by themselves.