Nordic Semi launches cloud location service for its cellular IoT chips
Nordic Semiconductor has launched a cloud-based location service for systems based on its nRF9160 System-in-Package (SiP)-powered cellular IoT devices.
The nRF Cloud Location Service builds upon Nordic’s internal cellular IoT connectivity cloud and provides external access to full commercial location services using the nRF9160.
The offering will start wit using single- and multi-cell location services as well as Assisted- and Predicted-GPS for indoor and outdoor applications.
The single-cell method relies on identifying in which cell the tracked device is situated and then referencing the cell identification against a database of known base station geographical locations. It offers accuracy down to kilometer level while extending battery life because it does not require operation of the GPS modem. Multi-cell location builds on the single-cell technique by referencing the position of several nearby base stations to offer accuracy down to several hundred meters while still keeping power consumption very low.
GPS offers greater location accuracy down to tens of meters. However, when using a cellular IoT device, a cold-start GPS modem time-to-first-fix (TTFF) on a group of satellites can take minutes and use significant battery capacity. Assisted-GPS provides near-future satellite location data to the IoT device through the cellular connection before the GPS modem is switched on.
A typical result is a reduction in TTFF down to 5 seconds, helping extend battery life. The Predicted-GPS technique builds on Assisted-GPS by providing over two weeks predicted assistance satellite data to the device. The result is a short TTFF and accurate location determination but with even greater power savings because of the lower frequency of assistance data requests to the cellular network by the IoT device compared with Assisted-GPS.
Nordic is partnering with multiple third-parties to ensure a high-quality service for Nordic devices and nRF Cloud customers. These partners will provide GPS assistance data, and an inexpensive and easy-to-access location history with timestamp information for each of the customer’s IoT devices. The product can also be interfaced to customers’ own applications and Cloud-presence via a user-friendly REST API as well as integrated with third-party applications.
“With its short range and cellular IoT products and development tools, Nordic has made access to the IoT much easier and simpler for all. nRF Cloud Location Services and nRF Cloud will extend that strategy to the configuration, management and maintenance of fleets of cellular IoT devices,” says Ville-Veikko Helppi, Product Manager for Cloud Solutions with Nordic Semiconductor.
“Customers are increasingly looking to Nordic, as a supplier they trust, to provide a simple and convenient way to manage cellular IoT devices in the field. nRF Cloud takes away all the hassle of setting up with an untried Cloud services provider and allows the customer to choose only the service they need. And by building on the established nRF Cloud platform, nRF Cloud Location Services offers Nordic customers the familiar Nordic ‘look and feel’ but now with the high-quality and long-term commercial support needed to deploy large numbers of cellular IoT devices.”
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