WO2017072639A1

WO2017072639A1 - Creating and monitoring geo-fenced zones

Info

Publication number: WO2017072639A1
Application number: PCT/IB2016/056337
Authority: WO
Inventors: Adrian Marc MAGUIRE
Original assignee: Fatti 365 (Pty) Ltd.
Priority date: 2015-10-27
Filing date: 2016-10-21
Publication date: 2017-05-04
Also published as: ZA201802699B

Abstract

The invention relates to a method (200) and system (100) for creating geo- fenced zones for monitoring movement of mobile devices (106) within a predetermined area, e.g. in a shopping facility, having wireless network coverage. The method involves demarcating (204) a plurality of geo-fenced zones (304) on an electronic representation of the facility and obtaining, using a plurality of wireless access points (WAPs), a location of a mobile device (106) within the facility and mapping the location of the mobile device (106) on the electronic representation (302) of the facility in order to establish whether or not the mobile device (106) is within a geo-fenced zone (304), and, if so, within which geo-fenced zone. Instead of just knowing a device's location, demarcation of specific zones makes it possible to track the device and to derive useful information from its stay or movement through zones by way of data analytics.

Description

CREATING AND MONITORING GEO-FENCED ZONES

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates, broadly, to tracking of mobile devices. More particularly, the invention relates to a method and system for tracking movement of a mobile device relative to a plurality of geo-fenced zones defined in a demarcated or predetermined area. The method and system may be employed for public and private areas such as at a shopping facility, train station, sports ground or even upon land-borne, air-borne or water-borne vehicles or crafts.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Nowadays smartphone usage is widespread and it is probably still on the rise. Smartphone users are becoming more and more dependent upon sophisticated functionality provided by their smart devices as smartphone technology improves and more tasks, which were ordinarily manually performed or carried out without the use of a smart device, are migrated to software applications developed specifically for smartphones. Simple everyday tasks may now require at least some form of interaction with a smartphone in order to be carried out. Naturally, as a result of increased usage, user's appetite for mobile data is also on the rise.

As a courtesy, or as a ploy to attract business, some property owners or service providers provide free or paid internet access to customers via wireless local area networks (WLAN) set up or otherwise managed by them or by a third party. A popular WLAN standard is known as Wi-Fi.

Despite the fact that satellite geolocation technology or GPS technology has become a standard feature in modern smartphones, it is also known that the position of a mobile device roaming in a wireless communication network can be determined or estimated based upon the device's interaction or communication with nodes or data communication equipment forming part of the wireless network. A number of different techniques have been developed to determine a position of a wireless device in a wireless network, without the use of a GPS, such as trilateration, triangulation and multilateration etc. In other words, using any of the above techniques, passage of a mobile device through an area covered by a wireless network may be recorded. However, the usefulness or intelligibility of location data derived from such techniques is squarely dependent upon the processing thereof. In the absence of adequate processing of the data into a form which an end-user can understand, the data itself is practically useless. For example, knowing a precise location of a mobile device is effectively meaningless if one cannot relate that position to its surroundings or somehow link it to its surroundings.

Increased use of the Internet and advances in smartphone technology have led to the development of web-based portals and software applications that enable a landlord or property owner to obtain data from consumers or customers visiting their property or facility. For example, a shopping facility may make a software application available to a consumer which provides a listing of stores, a map of the shopping facility and which allows the consumer to provide feedback regarding certain aspects of the shopping facility. By logging a consumer's interaction with the software application, the shopping facility may obtain data relating to the consumer's personal information, contact information, historical data, needs, interests and/or behaviour. Because most people who make use of a mobile device, carry the device on their person, location data pertaining to the device corresponds with the person's actual location. Knowledge of a person's location is not sufficient, however. There is a need to better interpret or understand a person's location and movement, relative to their surroundings, which cannot be achieved by having regard to their location data alone.

Embodiments of the present invention aim to address this need, at least to some extent.

Throughout the specification, the term "mobile device" should be interpreted so as to have its broadest meaning and may include any suitable mobile communication device, such as a cellular phone, tablet computer, PDA or laptop computer. The term should specifically be interpreted to include any communication device capable of accessing a wireless network while being carried by a user or consumer.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In accordance with a first aspect of the invention, there is provided a method of creating geo-fenced zones for monitoring movement of at least one mobile device within a predetermined area having wireless network coverage, characterized in that the method includes:

demarcating, using a computing device, a plurality of geo-fenced zones within the predetermined area;

obtaining, using at least one wireless network infrastructure device, an actual or estimated location of the mobile device within the predetermined area; and

mapping, using the computing device, the actual or estimated location of the mobile device on an electronic representation of the predetermined area in order to establish whether or not the mobile device is within a geo-fenced zone and, if so, within which geo-fenced zone.

The method may include monitoring a length of time the mobile device remains within a particular geo-fenced zone. The method may further include tracking, using the computing device, movement of the mobile device between geo-fenced zones. The method may also include continuously mapping, using the computing device, an updated location of the mobile device on the electronic representation of the predetermined area. In this way movement of the device from zone to zone can be monitored and tracked. Accordingly, the method includes simultaneously tracking movement of a plurality of mobile devices in the predetermined area, using the computing device, by establishing and monitoring each device's location relative to the geo-fenced zones.

The method may include storing, using the computing device, a location of each mobile device in a database together with a geo-fenced zone associated with that location. The method further includes establishing and/or maintaining a wireless network covering the predetermined area by installing and/or maintaining a plurality of wireless network infrastructure devices. The wireless network infrastructure devices include a wireless access point (AP). The wireless access point may be a Wi-Fi router. The wireless access points may include a Bluetooth beacon.

The location of the mobile device may be obtained by having regard to the device's position relative to a plurality of fixed wireless network infrastructure devices. These infrastructure devices may be WAPs.

Demarcating may include using an electronic representation of the predetermined area and associating a group of coordinates within the predetermined area with each geo-fenced zone. The actual or estimated location may include coordinates, i.e. x, y. The coordinates may be timestamped. In other words, the location may include a timestamp. Furthermore, a mobile device identifier may be associated with each location. In other words, the location may include a mobile device identifier of the device associated with the location as part of the location data.

In accordance with a further aspect of the invention, there is provided a system for creating geo-fenced zones for monitoring movement of at least one mobile device within a predetermined area having wireless network coverage, the system including at least one computing device in the form of a management server and at least one wireless network infrastructure device which is configured to establish and/or maintain the wireless network, the management server operatively being in communication with a plurality of mobile devices via the wireless network, characterized in that the management server is configured to:

demarcate a plurality of geo-fenced zones within the predetermined area, using an electronic representation of the predetermined area, by associating a group of coordinates within the predetermined area with each geo-fenced zone;

obtain, via a plurality of wireless network infrastructure devices, an actual or estimated location of the mobile device within the predetermined area; and

map the location of the mobile device on the electronic representation of the predetermined area in order to establish whether or not the mobile device is within a geo-fenced zone and, if so, within which geo-fenced zone.

The system may be configured to track movement of the mobile device between the geo-fenced zones. The electronic representation may be a two-dimensional representation. It may be a two-dimensional or three-dimensional representation of a shopping facility, train station, sports ground or even a representation of a land-borne, air-borne or water-borne vehicle or craft. In the case of a shopping facility, one or more geo-fenced zones may associated with each shop in the shopping facility, thereby enabling a consumer's movement with respect to a particular shop to be monitored.

The server may be configured to obtain location data of mobile devices using trilateration. Each mobile device may be identified by its media access control (MAC) address. Alternatively, or in addition, the device may be identified by its International Mobile Equipment Identity (IMEI) number. The server may be configured to provide a user interface whereby at least one indicator is reported. The indicator may include any one or more selected from the group comprising of: footfall, footfall per square meter, dwell time, average dwell time, number of devices connected to wireless network at a given point in time, number of visits to the shopping facility, busiest times, visit frequency, window conversion, passerby-ratio, top shop categories, shop rankings by dwell time and shop rankings by visits.

In accordance with yet another aspect of the invention, there is provided a method of creating and monitoring geo-fenced zones in a predetermined area, the method comprising:

obtaining, by a computing device, an electronic representation of the predetermined area;

demarcating a plurality of geo-fenced zones in the electronic representation, each of the geo-fenced zones corresponding to one of a plurality of real-world zones of the predetermined area;

receiving, by a computing device, via a wireless network, a plurality of location data points, each location data point originating from a mobile device of a consumer; and for each particular location data point received:

associating, by a computing device, the particular location data point with one of the geo-fenced zones;

establishing, by a computing device, that a mobile device of a consumer from which the particular location data point originates is located in a real-world zone associated with the geo-fenced zone or was located in the associated real-world zone at a point in time; and

storing, by a computing device, the particular location data point in a database in association with the associated real-world zone or the associated geo-fenced zone,

thereby enabling movement of mobile devices of consumers visiting the predetermined area to be monitored.

The electronic representation may be a two-dimensional representation, e.g. a floor plan of a shopping facility.

The term "location" or "location data point" refers to data which includes at least a location of a mobile device, and may include further data of a different nature, e.g. a timestamp and/or a mobile device identifier.

The method may include the step of establishing and/or maintaining a wireless network covering the plurality of real-world zones. The wireless network may be established and/or maintained by at least one wireless network infrastructure device. The wireless network infrastructure device may be a wireless access point (AP). More particularly, the wireless access point infrastructure device may be a Wi-Fi router. Alternatively or in addition, the wireless access point infrastructure device may be a Bluetooth beacon.

The step of demarcating a plurality of geo-fenced zones may include associating a group of coordinates with each geo-fenced zone. A specific coordinate in the predetermined area may therefore be uniquely associated with a specific geo-fenced zone. The coordinates may include x, y and, optionally, z values. The z value may indicate a floor number.

One or more shops may be associated with each geo-fenced zone, thereby enabling a consumer's movement with respect to a particular shop to be monitored. In some cases, a single shop may include more than one geo- fenced zone.

The step of receiving a plurality of location data points may include receiving a plurality of coordinates, each location data point representing the coordinates of a mobile device of a consumer in the predetermined area or shopping facility at a point in time.

Monitoring movement of a mobile device may include logging, by storing in the database, time spent by the mobile device in a particular geo-fenced zone. Monitoring movement may also include compiling a history of the movement of a mobile device within and/or between the geo-fenced zones.

The method may include processing location data points and data stored in association with location data points in the database to obtain values for one or more indicators. The method may include providing a user interface whereby the at least one indicator is reported. The indicators may include, for example, footfall, footfall per square meter, dwell time, average dwell time, number of devices connected to wireless network at a given point in time, number of visits to the shopping facility, busiest times, visit frequency, window conversion, passerby-ratio, top shop categories, shop rankings by dwell time and shop rankings by visits. The wireless network may be configured to obtain location data points from mobile devices using trilateration. The wireless network and/or computing device may uniquely identify each mobile device, e.g. by its media access control (MAC) address or International Mobile Equipment Identity (IMEI) number. A mobile device may alternatively or additionally be uniquely identified by login details, e.g. in cases where the mobile device accesses the wireless network by carrying out a logging-in procedure.

According to another aspect of the invention, there is provided a system for creating and monitoring geo-fenced zones in a predetermined area, the system including at least one computing device in the form of a management server and at least one wireless network infrastructure device which is configured to establish and/or maintain a wireless network, the management server operatively being in communication with a plurality of mobile devices via the wireless network, the management server being configured to perform the steps of:

obtaining an electronic representation of the predetermined area;

receiving, via the wireless network, a plurality of location data points, each location data point originating from a mobile device of a consumer; and for each particular location data point received:

associating the particular location data point with one of the geo- fenced zones;

establishing that a mobile device of a consumer from which the particular location data point originates is located in a real-world zone associated with the geo-fenced zone or was located in the associated real- world zone at a point in time; and storing the particular location data point in a database in association with the associated real-world zone or the associated geo-fenced zone,

According to a further aspect of the invention, broadly, there is provided a method of tracking movement of at least one mobile device within real-world zones of a predetermined area which is covered by a wireless network, the method comprising the steps of:

demarcating, by a computing device, a plurality of geo-fenced zones, each corresponding to a real-world zone, using an electronic representation of the predetermined area, by associating groups of coordinates within the real- world zones with each geo-fenced zone;

receiving, by at least one wireless network infrastructure device, a location data point for a mobile device, each location data point including coordinates and optionally a timestamp;

associating, by a computing device, the location data point with a geo- fenced zone; and

tracking, by a computing device, movement of the mobile device within a geo-fenced zone and/or between the geo-fenced zones.

According to another aspect of the invention, there is provided a system for tracking movement of at least one mobile device within real-world zones of a predetermined area which is covered by a wireless network, the system including at least one computing device in the form of a management server and at least one wireless network infrastructure device which is configured to establish and/or maintain the wireless network, the management server operatively being in communication with a plurality of mobile devices via the wireless network, the management server being configured to perform the steps of:

demarcating a plurality of geo-fenced zones, each corresponding to a real-world zone, using an electronic representation of the predetermined area, by associating groups of coordinates within the real-world zones with each geo-fenced zone;

associating, by the computing device, the location data point with a geo- fenced zone; and

tracking, by the computing device, movement of the mobile device within a geo-fenced zone and/or between the geo-fenced zones.

The computing device may be one or more computing devices provided by a management server. The management server may include centralised or distributed components. The steps above may thus be carried out by a single computing device or by a plurality of computing devices, from the same or different locations.

The invention also extends to a non-transitory computer readable medium having stored thereon a set of instructions, which, when executed by a computing device, enable the computing device to perform any one of the method steps described above. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The invention will now be further described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying diagrammatic drawings. In the drawings:

Figure 1 shows an embodiment of a system for tracking movement of mobile devices in a shopping facility according to the invention;

Figure 2 shows a flow diagram illustrating steps conducted in an exemplary method of creating and monitoring geo-fenced zones in a shopping facility, using the system of Figure 1 ;

Figure 3 shows an example of the demarcation of geo-fenced zones on a representation of a shopping facility; and

Figures 4-7 show screenshots of a user interface usable in embodiments of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION WITH REFERENCE TO THE DRAWINGS

The following description of the invention is provided as an enabling teaching of the invention. Those skilled in the relevant art will recognise that many changes can be made to the embodiments described, while still attaining the beneficial results of the present invention. It will also be apparent that some of the desired benefits of the present invention can be attained by selecting some of the features of the present invention without utilising other features. Accordingly, those skilled in the art will recognise that modifications and adaptations to the present invention are possible and can even be desirable in certain circumstances, and are a part of the present invention. Thus, the following description is provided as illustrative of the principles of the present invention and not a limitation thereof.

Referring to Figure 1 , reference numeral 100 generally indicates a system for tracking movement of a plurality of mobile devices within a predetermined area having wireless network coverage, for example, in a shopping facility. As alluded to above, the system may be employed at various locations including train stations, airports, hotels, sports grounds, office parks, boats, aircraft, vehicles and commercial and retail buildings, amongst others.

The system 100 includes a computing device in the form of a management server 102, a plurality of network infrastructure devices in the form of wireless access points 104A, 104B, 104C (collectively referred to as "the wireless access points 104") and a plurality of mobile devices 106A-106E (collectively referred to as "the mobile devices 106"). The mobile devices 106 typically are smartphones that have the ability to connect to a wireless local area network (WLAN). Naturally, other mobile devices with wireless connectivity may also form part of the system.

The management server 102 of the illustrated embodiment is provided by a back-office server of the shopping facility. The management server may, however, be any suitable server computer which provides one or more computing devices. The management server may include centralised or distributed components and may thus be located in a single location or distributed across different locations. The term "management server" may therefore include a computing device coupled to or otherwise in communication with a server computer.

The management server 102 is in electronic communication with the wireless access points 104. The wireless access points 104, commonly referred to as APs, are provided by suitable wireless network infrastructure devices capable of establishing and maintaining a wireless network which enables the management server 102 to be in communication with the mobile devices 106 via the wireless network. The wireless network infrastructure devices may include a Bluetooth beacon. Alternatively, or in addition, the infrastructure devices may include one or more Wi-Fi routers. Any other suitable wireless network infrastructure device also falls within the scope of this disclosure. The wireless access points 104 are installed in the shopping facility to provide a wireless network accessible by the mobile devices 106. Each mobile device 106 is associated with a consumer, which is typically a consumer carrying the mobile device 106 whilst visiting the shopping facility.

In this embodiment, the wireless network is a single channel Wi-Fi network. The wireless network is capable of determining the position, i.e. x-y coordinates of a mobile device on a two dimensional representation of the facility by way of trilateration, as will be well understood by those skilled in the art.

The system 100 is configured for creating and monitoring geo-fenced zones in the shopping facility in order to track movement of the mobile devices 106 through the shopping facility. Steps which may be carried out to create and monitor such geo-fenced zones are shown in Figure 2 where numeral 200 illustrates a method of creating geo-fenced zones for monitoring movement of the plurality of mobile devices 106 throughout the facility.

Referring to Figure 2, at a first stage 202, the management server 102 obtains an electronic representation of the shopping facility in the form of a two- dimensional representation of its floor plan 302. The representation may be in the form of computer-aided design (CAD) drawings which are uploaded to the management sever 102.

At a next stage 204, a plurality of geo-fenced zones are demarcated in the electronic representation. Each geo-fenced zone corresponds to a real-world zone of the shopping facility. The real-world zones are covered by the wireless network. A user may demarcate the zones by providing user input to the management server 102, or the management server 102 may be programmed to demarcate the zones substantially automatically based on predefined rules. In this embodiment, the geo-fenced zones are demarcated by associating a group of coordinates with each geo-fenced zone. A specific coordinate in the shopping facility will thus be uniquely associated with a specific geo-fenced zone. The coordinates include x and y values. In some cases, the coordinates may also include z values, which may refer to a floor number or level in the shopping facility, depending, of course, on the implementation.

Figure 3 illustrates, as an example, the manner in which the floor plan 302 can be demarcated so as to include a plurality of geo-fenced zones 304. As can be seen in Figure 3, a particular shop 306 can be associated with a specific geo-fenced zone, thereby enabling a consumer's movement with respect to the shop to be monitored, as will be described in greater detail below. In some cases, a single shop may include more than one geo-fenced zone.

Referring again to Figure 2, at a next stage 206, and as described with reference to Figure 1 , the wireless access points 104 establish and maintain a wireless network so that the location of mobile devices of consumers moving around in the shopping facility may be determined.

At a next stage 208, and concurrently with the remainder of the stages 210- 216, the management server 102 continuously receives, via the wireless network, a plurality of location data points. Each location data point originates or is associated with one of the mobile devices 106, which is a mobile device carried by a consumer visiting the shopping facility. The location data points may be calculated or estimated by the management server 102 using trilateration, triangulation, multilateration or another suitable location determination technique based upon signals received by the APs. A location data point for each device 106 is calculated based upon the Received Signal Strength Indicator (RSSI) values of at least three WAPs close to the device 106. As a consumer moves through the shopping facility, the management server 102 thus continuously receives signals via the APs and calculates location data points based upon the above technique. Each device's location is therefore calculated in relation to the APs 104 surrounding that device, the positions of which are known and remain fixed. A device's location may also be received directly from the consumer's mobile device, for example, using the device's built-in GPS. In this alternative embodiment, each device may therefore be configured to share their location with the server 102.

As mentioned, the wireless network may be configured to obtain coordinates for location data points from mobile devices 106 using trilateration. The wireless network may also obtain a mobile device identifier usable to uniquely identify a mobile device 106 and thus a consumer, e.g. its media access control (MAC) address or International Mobile Equipment Identity (IMEI) number.

In some cases, the mobile device may be logged into the wireless network. Each device's wireless connectivity or Wi-Fi connectivity must be switched on in order to be tracked. A mobile device may thus be uniquely identified by login details. The wireless network may also be configured to track mobile devices which are not logged into the wireless network based upon each device's unique identifier. The shopping facility may also provide a software application which can be accessed by consumers. In such cases, the consumer may, by logging into the software application, enable tracking of its mobile device.

Preferably, the mobile device identifier remains constant such that a consumer's behavioural patterns can be analysed over time. Examples of such identifiers are MAC addresses, IMEI numbers, usernames, identifiers of software applications installed on devices, and the like. At a next stage 210, for every location data point the management server 102 receives, it maps or associates the location data point with one of the geo- fenced zones. In other words, it matches or maps the coordinates in the location data point on the representation or floor plan 302 to find within which geo-fenced zone 304 it falls. In this way, the management server 102, at a next stage 212, can establish that a mobile device 106 of a consumer from which the particular location data point originates or is associated with is located in a real-world zone associated with the geo-fenced zone or was located in the associated real-world zone at a point in time.

In this embodiment, the management server 102 is coupled to a database in which the particular location data point is stored, at a next stage 214. In this exemplary embodiment, each location data point includes coordinates, a timestamp and a mobile device identifier and is stored in the database in association with the geo-fenced zone in question.

At a next stage 216, and periodically or continuously, the management server 102 can use the stored data to monitor the movement of mobile devices in the shopping facility. This may happen in near real-time. This may include logging, by storing in the database, time spent by a mobile device in a particular geo- fenced zone, and/or compiling a history of the movement of a mobile device 106 within and/or between the geo-fenced zones.

The system 100 thus allows for the monitoring or tracking of a consumer's movement within and between the geo-fenced zones and, optionally, with respect to a particular shop, entrance, exit, or the like.

In this embodiment, the management server 102 is configured to process location data points and data stored in association with location data points in the database to obtain values for one or more indicators. These indicators are then provided to users, e.g. back-office staff, facility owners, property managers, tenants etc. by way of a web-based user interface. Examples of such a user interface are shown in Figures 4 to 7.

Figure 4 shows an example of a screen by which a user can view the position and movement of consumers in the shopping facility. This may be viewed in real-time or near real-time.

Figures 5 to 7 show examples of indicators which can be provided to a user by way of the user interface. These indicators include footfall 30, footfall per square meter 32, dwell time 40, average dwell time 34, number of devices connected to wireless network at a given point in time 38, visits to the shopping facility 42, busiest times 44, visit frequency, window conversion 46, passerby-ratio 48, top shop categories 50, shop rankings by dwell time 52 and shop rankings by visits 54. Zone profiling can be performed whereby geo- fenced zones of shops that fall within the same category, e.g. clothing, food etc. are grouped together. In this way, the number of times a consumer visits a particular category of shop can be established to infer interests or preferences etc. Different charts or summaries can be represented on the interface. Accordingly, the user has the ability to manipulate the interface in order to view specific information of interest to him/her. For example, the user can select a date range and location of interest. In so doing, the selection made determines a size of the pool of data from which the information is drawn. Information can also be illustrated graphically as shown in Figures 5 and 7. In Figure 5, a footfall count per day has been plotted for an entire month. A top half of Figure 7 shows a graph illustrating the average dwell time of customers in a shop during the course of a day and a lower half of Figure 7 shows an exemplary illustration of a graph indicating window conversion, passerby-ratio and dwell time. This information can be compared to other shopping facilities, for example. Shop specific information can also be drawn and presented to the respective tenants of the shopping facility. It should be understood that these indicators can be obtained using the data stored in the database. The above indicators are primarily used for exemplary purposes, and any other suitable indicator may be obtained and provided to an authorised user.

The system 100 is capable of obtaining a history of the movement of a mobile device in the shopping facility. The system 100 can thus calculate sophisticated or complex indicators such as, among many others, window conversion and passerby-ratio (see Figures 6 and 7). "Window conversion" may refer to instances in which a consumer lingers at a window of a shop and then proceeds to enter the shop, while "passerby-ratio" may refer to the ratio of consumers who simply pass by a shop window without entering into the shop.

Embodiments of the invention thus provide a method 200 of tracking movement of at least one mobile device 106 within real-world zones of a shopping facility which are covered by a wireless network. A plurality of geo- fenced zones can be demarcated, each corresponding to a real-world zone, e.g. by associating groups of coordinates within the real-world zones with each geo-fenced zone 304. The server 102 can then receive and calculate, using the wireless network infrastructure device (APs), a location data point for a mobile device, each location data point including coordinates and optionally a timestamp. The server 102 is configured to associate the location data point with a geo-fenced zone 304. In this way the server 102 is capable of tracking movement of the mobile devices within each geo-fenced zone and/or between different geo-fenced zones.

Different spaces, zones or areas forming part of a larger area have different levels of relevance or importance to different people. For example, a tenant of retail space in a shopping facility will be very interested in information relayed to him regarding the number of customer's in their shop on a particular day or within a particular time-span. However, obviously, they will not be as interested in data indicative of the number of customer's visiting a particular area of a food court in the facility, for example. In the absence of geo-fenced zones, it is not possible to differentiate between device locations in the manner suggested above. The advantage of the invention is therefore that a large space can be subdivided into smaller zones of interest which are relevant or important to different people. Data processing can then be performed in respect of a particular zone in order to target information only toward persons interested in that zone. There are numerous other advantages which can be gleaned from the establishment of geo-fenced zones across a predetermined area.

The Applicant believes that the system 100 and method 200 described herein enables persons or entities responsible for or associated with a predetermined area, such as a shopping facility, to obtain more detailed and useful information pertaining to consumers visiting the facility based upon their movement or location in relation to specific geo-fenced zones in the area.

The Applicant further believes that the technique described herein provides users of the system 100 with an enhanced tracking ability, as coordinates are uniquely associated with geo-fenced zones to provide meaningful information, instead of simply obtaining a history of coordinates of a mobile device. By breaking the predetermined area up into smaller demarcated zones, much more meaningful and useful information can be extracted from location data. For example, the server 102 may be configured to store or log a customer's geo-fenced zone of entry through which they entered a facility or in which they parked in order to help navigate them back to their vehicle or back to the point where they entered, for e.g., "You parked in basement -1 at entrance 4. You are now at entrance 9. Navigate to entrance 4 from your location?"

Claims

CLAIMS:

1. A method of creating geo-fenced zones for monitoring movement of at least one mobile device (106) within a predetermined area having wireless network coverage, characterized in that the method includes:

demarcating (204), using a computing device, a plurality of geo-fenced zones (304) within the predetermined area;

obtaining, using at least one wireless network infrastructure device, an actual or estimated location of the mobile device (106) within the predetermined area; and

mapping, using the computing device, the actual or estimated location of the mobile device (106) on an electronic representation (302) of the predetermined area in order to establish whether or not the mobile device (106) is within a geo-fenced zone (304), and, if so, within which geo-fenced zone.

2. The method as claimed in claim 1 , characterized in that it includes monitoring a length of time the mobile device (106) remains within a particular geo-fenced zone (304).

3. The method as claimed in claim 1 or claim 2, characterized in that it includes tracking, using the computing device, movement of the mobile device (106) between geo-fenced zones.

4. The method as claimed in claim 3, characterized in that it includes continuously mapping (210), using the computing device, an updated location of the mobile device (106) on the electronic representation of the predetermined area.

5. The method as claimed in claim 4, characterized in that it includes simultaneously tracking movement of a plurality of mobile devices in the predetermined area, using the computing device, by establishing (212) and monitoring each device's location relative to at least one geo-fenced zone (304).

6. The method as claimed in any of the preceding claims, characterized in that it includes storing (214), using the computing device, the location of each mobile device (106) in a database together with the geo-fenced zone associated with that location.

7. The method as claimed in any of the preceding claims, characterized in that it includes establishing and/or maintaining (206) a wireless network covering the predetermined area by installing and/or maintaining a plurality of wireless network infrastructure devices.

8. The method as claimed in claim 7, characterised in that the wireless network infrastructure devices include a wireless access point (AP) (104).

9. The method as claimed in claim 8, characterised in that the wireless access point is a Wi-Fi router.

10. The method as claimed in claim 8 or claim 9, characterized in that the wireless access points include a Bluetooth beacon.

1 1 . The method as claimed in any of the preceding claims, characterized in that the location of the mobile device (106) is obtained having regard to the device's position relative to a plurality of fixed wireless network infrastructure devices.

12. The method as claimed in any of the preceding claims, characterized in that demarcating (204) includes using an electronic representation (302) of the predetermined area and associating a group of coordinates within the predetermined area with each geo-fenced zone (304).

13. The method as claimed in any of the preceding claims, characterized in that the actual or estimated location includes coordinates, is timestamped and includes a mobile device identifier associated with that location.

14. A system for creating geo-fenced zones for monitoring movement of at least one mobile device (106) within a predetermined area having wireless network coverage, the system including at least one computing device in the form of a management server (102) and at least one wireless network infrastructure device which is configured to establish and/or maintain the wireless network, the management server (102) operatively being in communication with a plurality of mobile devices (106) via the wireless network, characterized in that the management server (102) is configured to: demarcate a plurality of geo-fenced zones (304) within the predetermined area, using an electronic representation (302) of the predetermined area, by associating a group of coordinates within the predetermined area with each geo-fenced zone;

obtain, via a plurality of wireless network infrastructure devices, an actual or estimated location of the mobile device (106) within the predetermined area; and

map the location of the mobile device (106) on the electronic representation of the predetermined area in order to establish whether or not the mobile device (106) is within a geo-fenced zone, and, if so, within which geo-fenced zone.

15. The system as claimed in claim 14, characterized in that the system is configured to track movement of the mobile device (106) between the geo- fenced zones (304).

16. The system as claimed in claim 14 or claim 15, characterized in that the electronic representation is a two-dimensional representation of a shopping facility one or more geo-fenced zones being associated with each shop in the shopping facility, thereby enabling a consumer's movement with respect to a particular shop to be monitored.

17. The system as claimed in any one of claims 14 to 16, characterized in that the server is configured to obtain location data of mobile devices (106) using trilateration and to identify each mobile device (106) by any one of its media access control (MAC) address or International Mobile Equipment Identity (IMEI) number.

18. The system as claimed in claim 16, characterized in that the server is configured to provide a user interface whereby at least one indicator is reported, the indicator including any one or more of the group comprising: footfall (30), footfall per square meter (32), dwell time, average dwell time (34), number of devices connected to wireless network at a given point in time (38), number of visits to the shopping facility (42), busiest times (44), visit frequency, window conversion (46), passerby-ratio (48), top shop categories (50), shop rankings by dwell time (52) and shop rankings by visits (54).

19. A non-transitory computer readable medium having stored thereon a set of instructions, which, when executed by a computing device, enable the computing device to perform the method steps claimed in any one of claims 1 to 13.