VPS stands for “Visual Positioning System.” It is a geolocation system that refines your inaccurate GPS position using a series of images taken by your smartphone.

It is important to understand how a VPS works in order to use it correctly.

Let’s take Apple’s VPS in Paris as an example. Apple operators have driven through the streets of Paris with cars equipped with 360° cameras and LIDARs to capture hundreds of thousands of images of the city.

Using these images, they can build a 3D model of the city through a process called “photogrammetry.”

As a result, anywhere in the city where this 3D model has been built, it becomes possible to take a picture with an iPhone and use an algorithm to determine the position and orientation of the iPhone that took it—similar to the game GeoGuessr but at street level. The fact that your approximate GPS position is known speeds up the process a lot!

Result: we are able to position you within a few tens of centimeters and determine your orientation within a few degrees.

Apple’s VPS

For Apple VPS to work for you, two necessary conditions must be met:

1. You must be in a city where Apple has made VPS available. Check the list.

2. You must use the app on streets that are visible in Apple’s “Look Around” panoramic imagery.

Example 1:

In Paris, on Boulevard des Invalides, you are in a covered city and the entire boulevard is visible in the panoramic images. Apple VPS will work for you!

Example 2:

In Paris, inside Père Lachaise cemetery, you are in a covered city but there are no Apple panoramic images. Therefore, you cannot use Apple VPS.

Example 3:

In Dijon, at Place de la République, panoramic images exist, but the city does not appear in the list of supported cities. Therefore, you cannot use Apple VPS.

Google’s VPS

Fortunately, Google VPS also exists!

It is a bit more temperamental to use than Apple VPS (see below), and we are limited in the number of simultaneous users, but it is available everywhere Google panoramic imagery exists—so almost all of Europe and North America!

To check whether your route uses streets covered by Google panoramic imagery, simply go to Google Maps and activate the “StreetView” layer to view all Google panoramic images.

Comparing Apple and Google VPS

We have observed that Google VPS needs to reset roughly every 30 meters. We have tried to minimize the impact on the user during navigation, but you may still hear a recalibration warning fairly often.

Both VPS systems struggle at night or in conditions of low visibility, but especially Google’s. Take precautions late in the evening or in winter when the sun sets early. When public lighting sufficiently illuminates building facades, both VPS systems remain more or less usable, though they will lose precise positioning more frequently.

Indoor Navigation

SonarVision now supports indoor positioning using our own VPS system !

In order to capture the required reference imagery, we must scan and map your venue beforehand.

If you wish to deploy SonarVision’s indoor navigation system in your building or venue, please reach out to us.