Colorado-based startup Zephr has claimed to have solved smartphone GPS positioning problems with a networked approach that achieves sub-60cm accuracy.<\/p>\n
Zephr’s software development kit (SDK) can be integrated into apps to turn smartphones into a network of GPS base stations. Base stations are high-accuracy, stationary GPS receivers used to broadcast location correction to roving GPS units.<\/p>\n
When smartphones running Zephr’s code are within 10 kilometers of each other, they can exchange error data and use it to all get pinpoint accuracy for their locations.<\/p>\n
In real-world testing, Zephr said it was able to achieve accuracy within a 1-meter buffer, and often within 50cm. The company said it needs around 10 to 15 devices sharing data within 10 kilometers of each other to get a marked improvement in GPS accuracy.<\/p>\n
Zephr’s cofounder and CEO, Sean Gorman, said the company’s technology could be used for a variety of applications, including augmented reality, autonomous vehicles, delivery and ride-sharing services, search and rescue, and other location-centric uses.<\/p>\n
Zephr plans to make its SDK available in the first half of next year.<\/p>\n