txla beacons april 2016

Innovation: Using Beacons for

Community Engagement 

Stephen Abram, MLSLighthouse Consulting Inc.

TxLA Conference, Houston TXApril 20, 2016

Stephen’s Lighthouse

QR Codes NFC and Beacons

What is a beacon?

Beacons are small, often inexpensive devices that enable more accurate location within a narrow range than GPS, cell tower triangulation and Wi-Fi proximity. Beacons transmit small amounts of data via Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) up to 50 meters, and as a result are often used for indoor location technology, although beacons can be used outside as well.

Beacons are typically powered by small batteries, but they can be plugged into an outlet or USB port instead to maintain consistent power. In addition to standalone beacon devices, mobile phones,tablets and PCs with BLE support can all function as beacons, with the ability to both emit and receive beacon signals.

Visualize this

http://www.aislelabs.com/reports/beacon-guide/

Who’s using them for what?

iBeacon

When was it launched? iBeacon was launched in 2013 and officially deployed across Apple’s 254 stores in December 2013.   What’s the battery life of Beacons? Typical battery life of beacons runs anything from 6 months to 2 years.   4)   What devices does it support? iBeacon supports BLE-enabled devices. For a full list of devices, you can refer here.

  What’s the proximity? A beacon has 3 approximate ranges: Immediate – a few centimeters Near – a few meters Far – approximately 10 meters

How can it enhance my library or community experience?

Instead of relying on user-triggered action such as scanning of a QR Code or tapping on an NFC tag, usage of iBeacons is based on proximity range and can deliver different contextual messages based on the immediate range of a beacon. Imagine if you are an exhibitor who managed to get a prospect to download your app.

Sample deployment

Range(s)

Beacon-like

Get In-Library Notifications

What does in-library look like?

Dream . . .

What does in-community look like?

Kew GardensHamilton PL and Gore ParkMcMaster University community health

When you’re doing it right you . . .

What are the key issues?

Privacy Adoption Spam Hacks

The Internet of Things

First books are things

What else in your library is a thing?

Everything?

The Internet of Place and Space

OMG – the book!

19

Until the lion learns to write her own story, the story will always be from the perspective of the hunter not the hunted.

Stephen Abram, MLS, FSLALighthouse Consulting Inc.

Cel: 416-669-4855stephen.abram@gmail.comStephen’s Lighthouse Blog

http://stephenslighthouse.comFacebook: Stephen Abram

LinkedIn: Stephen AbramTwitter: @sabram

SlideShare: StephenAbram1