Managing Wayfinding Network¶

Pointr’s Deep Location® Platform offers a wayfinding feature that helps users navigate from their current location to a specified destination. We support two types:

Static Wayfinding (without a blue dot - Web SDK)	Dynamic Wayfinding (with a blue dot - Mobile SDK)
In situations where beacons are not deployed, Pointr maintains a high-quality wayfinding experience by offering static routes that effectively lead users to their destinations. This is accomplished even when real-time positioning is not available.	Relies on Bluetooth beacons you’ve installed in your space, which enables Pointr to determine a user’s real-time “blue dot” location. In this case, Pointr’s algorithm intelligently reroutes users who stray from the designated path on their way to a destination.

Paths on Pointr Cloud Dashboard
Although the initial path settings on the Pointr Cloud Dashboard might appear zig-zag shaped, our advanced algorithm significantly enhances these paths to ensure they are user-friendly and visually appealing. To learn more about path optimization, visit “How are the paths used when calculating a route?”

This tutorial explains how to create and manage your Wayfinding Network using Paths, Transitions, and Obstacles.

Paths	Transitions	Obstacles
Represent walkable areas in your space. Create them manually or use auto-path-generation based on floorplan features like walls and furniture. You can customize these paths to suit your needs.	Links between areas. Physical: stairs, elevators, and escalators within buildings. Virtual: Link buildings, from entrances to complex systems like campus shuttles. For smooth wayfinding, connect to paths and customize attributes if needed.	Map features to avoid in wayfinding planning. Categorized as Visible (walls, furniture, utility rooms) and Invisible (virtual). Pointr’s wayfinding algorithm automatically avoids these during wayfinding.
Note: To ensure accurate path generation for users, avoid designating paths to staff-only areas, private elevators, or restricted zones within Pointr’s software.	Note: Transitions like stairwells have distinct colors as map objects on maps. Learn more about connections on “Map Objects related to Transitions” page.	Note: As direct editing on the Wayfinding Network page is not available, to modify obstacles, go to the Map Objects page. For more details, visit the Optimizing Wayfinding Network with Obstacles page.

Creating and Managing Paths¶

1. On the Content page, access the Wayfinding Network page.

   

2. Click on the Add new button to open a panel on the right-hand side.

3. Select Path to add your new paths

   

4. You will find two options to add paths:

   • Auto Generate: Automatically generates paths based on your floorplan’s features like walls and furniture. You can then review and customize the generated paths as necessary.

   • Draw Manually: Draw paths manually by directly dropping path nodes on your map

   

Utilize Auto-Path-Generation for path creation¶

1. In the right-hand panel, click on the Auto Generate button.
2. If you have no existing paths, the Auto-Path-Generation process will swiftly calculate and create paths for your map within seconds.

3. A notification will appear if you have existing paths, warning that they will be overwritten.

   

4. Right-click anywhere on the map to finish editing your paths.

   

5. To adjust the created paths, click on one of the path nodes directly. Refer to the following Draw Manually tutorial for further adjustments.

   

Use Draw Manually to adjust the paths¶

1. To adjust path locations, click and drag a path node to move them to the desired new location.

2. To create a new path between nodes, click on a path node and then click on another location on the map.

   

3. To add a new path between two nodes, click on an orange node, select Add Middle Point, and click on a desired location on the map to create your new path.

4. Right-click anywhere on the map to finish editing your paths.

   

5. Click on Save to save your wayfinding settings.

6. Publish your paths before it can be used on the Pointr SDKs or REST API.

7. That’s it! You can now use wayfinding on your digital map.

Removing a Path:¶

1. Select Draw Manually from the left menu.
2. Right-click on a path node and choose Delete to remove the path following that node.
3. Right-click anywhere on the map to complete the path editing.

4. Click Save to save your wayfinding settings.

   

Creating and Managing Transitions¶

1. Access the Wayfinding Network page on the Content page.

   

2. Click on the Add new button to open a panel on the right-hand side.

3. Select Transition to add your new paths.

   

4. You will find four types of Transitions, including three of the most common Transitions and one customizable transition:

   • Stairs Transition: Connects levels with stairs.
   • Elevator Transition: Connects levels with elevators (step-free/minimized steps)
   • Escalator Transition: Connects levels with escalators (minimized steps)
   • Custom Transition: Allows customization of connections between sections, levels, or buildings.
     • Custom Transitions offer a range of potential use cases, including ramps, travelators, border controls, sky bridges, shuttle systems for cross-building transitions, and more. Discover further details on the Potential use cases for Custom Transitions page.
   • Building Entrance-Exit: Connects indoor and outdoor wayfinding.

   

5. Choose the appropriate transition type

6. Provide a name for your Transition
7. Use the Pin tool to determine the location on the map for the transition.

8. Right-click anywhere on the map to confirm your transition’s location.

   

9. Click Transition Links and select the transitions you want to connect

   • Only the same type of transitions can be connected. For example, a Stair Transition can only connect to a Stair Transition.
   • Custom Transition offers more flexibility, allowing you to customize the transition types as needed. You can connect to multiple different custom transitions using this option.

   

10. Choose the Direction of the transition:

    • Stairs Transition: Bidirectional
    • Elevator Transition: Bidirectional
    • Escalator Transition: Unidirectional (Double-escalators require separate entries for up and down directions)
    • Custom Transition: User-defined
    • Building Entrance-Exit: User-defined

    

11. Set the Travel Time - Enter the duration in seconds it takes to traverse the transition.

    • Default Travel Time - all customizable if needed
      • Stairs Transition: 60 seconds
      • Elevator Transition: 120 seconds
      • Escalator Transition: 45 seconds
      • Custom Transition: User-defined (for cross-building wayfinding, visit here for more info)
      • Building Entrance-Exit: User-defined

12. Determine the Accessibility Access:

    • None: Not suitable for wheelchairs, crutches, or individuals with limited mobility. Requires physical effort to cross, such as climbing stairs.
    • Comfortable: Minimizes the number of steps required, suitable for the elderly or individuals with mobility aids.
    • Accessible: Provides step-free options for wheeled vehicles like wheelchairs or luggage carts.

    

13. To modify the location of a transition, click on it and choose one of two options:

    • Use the Modify tool to drag the transition to the desired location.
    • Alternatively, use the Clear tool to remove the transition mark, and then use the Pin tool to set a new location.

14. Right-click anywhere on the map to confirm your transition’s location.

15. Click on Save to save your wayfinding settings.
16. Publish your added/updated transitions before it can be used on the Pointr SDKs or REST API.

Removing a Transition:¶

1. To remove your Transition, click on Danger Zone, then click on Delete.

   

2. A pop-up notification will appear; click Yes, Continue to remove the transition or No, go back to cancel the request.

   

3. Click on Save to save your wayfinding settings.

Creating Site-Wide Wayfinding¶

To establish outdoor paths on the site, please follow these steps:

1. Navigate to the Wayfinding Network tab located on the Site page. Click the Add New button and choose Outdoor Path.

   

2. Select Geometry as “path”, start drawing the path and then right-click to complete the drawing.

   

3. Click the Add button to finalize the path.

   

How to add Outdoor Transition?¶

You can add an Outdoor Transition on your site for transitions such as Security Checkpoints by following these steps:

1. Navigate to the Wayfinding Network tab on the Site page, click the Add New button, and select Outdoor Transition.

   

2. Enter the Name, select the Geometry, mark the position, and right-click to complete the drawing. (Outdoor transitions initially appear red; you will need to update the outdoor path later to connect the outdoor transitions and outdoor path.)

   

3. Click the Add button to finalize the transition.

   

How to add links between Outdoor Transitions?¶

To add links between Outdoor Transitions, please follow these steps:

1. Click on the Transition Links section for the relevant transition and enter the Travel Time between the selected transitions.

   • If the link between transitions is suitable for wheelchair access, enable the isAccessible option.
   • If the link between transitions includes comfortable options such as a shuttle or moving walkway, enable the isComfortable option.

2.Click the Add button to finalize the link.

Static Direction	Live Direction	Mobile Demo App