Real Time Locating Systems (RTLS) are electronic systems that are intended to locate small electronic devices on people or things at any time.

RTLS are intended to locate small electronic devices on people or things at any time. There are many situations calling for RTLS, particularly now that it has become affordable and the mobile devices that are sensed have, in many cases, become small and convenient. In 2008, there are 50 RTLS suppliers, rising to 200 in 2013, reflecting the market growth from $145 Million in 2008 to $2.7 Billion in 2018.

The RTLS value chain mainly revolves around small portable tags, almost always battery powered, interrogators, sophisticated software and system integration. However, other items of hardware are often needed and facilities management, training, support, legacy integration and other services are often involved.

Most suppliers in the RTLS value chain are in the US where by far the largest market is situated. However, the number of European suppliers is growing rapidly and there will be significant growth in suppliers in East Asia within five years, with interesting developments in Australia and South Africa that appear in some of the case studies we analyze in this report.

The full range of RTLS technologies and systems are analyzed, including:
Wi-Fi
Ultra Wide Band (UWB)
Proprietary and standardised RF systems at UHF, GHz
Infra-red
Ultrasound
Zigbee
GPS, GSM

RTLS Case Studies and Forecasts
This report covers over 65 RTLS case studies from around the world. Hospital staff have traditionally had difficulty summoning assistance when faced with an emergency medical situation or, increasingly, physical assault. Alarm pendants have alerted backup but not given position. Timely location of a child lost in a theme park and possibly in danger has been impractical. Supply chains are traditionally tracked by RFID, barcodes and so on with a similar lack of precision. At best one knows that the package or conveyance passed a choke point at some stage and heroic assumptions are then made as to where it now resides. Vehicles are also tracked with imprecision. Postal services need to "switch the light on" and take a holistic automated approach. The antidote to these and other shortcomings is RTLS. The main applications of RTLS will be in manufacturing, military, healthcare, postal/ courier, research and development and military sectors but with increased interest from most other sectors including retail and agricultural.

Some of the largest companies in the world are now active in RTLS, which will become 40% of the active RFID market in only ten years. These companies include Mitsubishi, Cisco, IBM, Microsoft and Motorola.

Source: Reportlinker

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