Apple was awarded a patent on Tuesday for a technology that should allow for much more accurate indoor location detection and mapping, even in the absence of GPS. The new patent, which was picked up by Apple Insider, uses a combination of Wi-Fi access points, location databases and other data to determine proximity to what the patent called “presence areas.” It then analyzes various data such as Wi-Fi signal strength and building architecture to determine a more precise location. GPS often fails to provide accurate location data for when your are indoors, so this patent could help alleviate that problem. Apple has also shown interest in improved indoor mapping in the past. With iOS 7, it added support for iBeacons, which use Bluetooth LE
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