The ability to know the precise level of occupancy in an indoor or outdoor space in real time could have multiple applications. It is a well-known problem for which a number of technologies have been proposed over time. The recent emergence of BLE beacon technology has provided a solution to the problem. This study presents a tool that uses beacons and user smartphones to determine the level of occupancy in indoor and outdoor spaces, providing real-time information that can be published as open data and subsequently used by other applications. The tool was tested in a university environment in real-life situations and has produced promising results in obtaining an occupancy count.
Keywords: BLE; beacon; level of occupancy; localization; occupancy detection; open data; smartphone.