hIPS

: aplicação mobile para suporte à deslocação de utilizadores em contexto hospitalar

Abstract

The substantial growth of indoor positioning systems (IPS) is justified by the fact that they allow for improvements in the management of spaces and people inside buildings. Considering hospitals as physical spaces with complex architectures and large dimensions, the application of IPS in these units can be an asset. With the use of technologies such as WiFi and Bluetooth Low Energy, IPS can contribute to the management of hospital units, also cooperating in the safety of patients. These enable real-time tracking of user’s localization and, together with mapping and navigation logics, provide assistance when moving around inside hospitals. IPS are already known in some countries, being applied in shopping centers, airports, hospitals, among others. However, in Portugal this solution has not been explored yet. Therefore, this thesis focuses on the evaluation and development of an indoor positioning system, inserted in a mobile application, for use in a hospital context. Thus, the main objective is the study of the benefits and potential challenges of the application of these systems in hospital units, as well as the presentation of a technological solution to optimize the user’s flow. As a practical component, a proof of concept of the last two IPS phases was elaborated, which allowed us to understand the usefulness of this tool in a real context, as well as some construction difficulties implicit in the process. Through hIPS, it is possible to access the paths to be taken within a space (which intends to simulate a hospital area), pre-selecting the starting point and the desired destination, with an accessible and intuitive graphic interface, improving the user’s experience during the visit.

Date of Award	8 Sept 2023
Original language	Portuguese
Awarding Institution	Universidade Católica Portuguesa
Supervisor	Renato José Soares de Oliveira (Supervisor) & Pedro Miguel Rodrigues (Co-Supervisor)