PolyMaps indoor map application
PolyMaps shows your current location within and between the buildings of ETH Zurich and allows you to search for lecture halls, meeting rooms, restaurants or toilets. PolyMaps is included in the ETH App.
How do I use PolyMaps?
The indoor map application PolyMaps is part of the ETH App (download here) and is used via the “365体育官网_365体育备用【手机在线】” tab. While an internet connection is required to load the map data, it also works offline. To use PolyMaps, the Bluetooth and location services of the mobile device must be activated and enabled for the ETH App.
ETH App enables positioning within and between ETH buildings
The PolyMaps indoor map application is available in the ETH App under the “365体育官网_365体育备用【手机在线】” tab. The system shows the user's current position in real time with a blue dot and allows users to search for rooms, lecture halls and POIs (Points of Interest) such as restaurants, toilets or libraries.
The system currently covers most buildings and areas on the Zentrum and H?nggerberg campuses, the sites in Oerlikon (OAT, OCT and ONA) and the BSS in Basel. For an overview of the availability of PolyMaps, please see here.
“Thanks to real-time positioning, PolyMaps makes it easy to find your way around buildings and search for rooms on your smartphone.”Ricardo Roch, GIS specialist
Two technologies ensure high accuracy
Inside the buildings, PolyMaps uses Bluetooth for positioning. For this purpose, major ETH buildings are equipped with Bluetooth beacons (see picture). Their signals are picked up by the ETH App and converted into location information. The app not only locates where you are, but also which floor you are on. Outside, PolyMaps uses satellite navigation signals.
The combination of these two technologies enables PolyMaps to provide seamless positioning indoors and outdoors, accurate to within a few metres. Positioning is also possible in offline mode. An Internet connection is required to load the map data.
Within the buildings, the system works only in the circulation areas (corridors, stairs, open spaces, etc.). PolyMaps cannot be used to position within a room, e.g. a large lecture hall or a specific workplace.
Data protection guaranteed
PolyMaps fully respects the privacy and security of its users. The system does not collect, track or store any personal data, not even temporarily. The position is calculated exclusively on the user's mobile device and is not transmitted to the servers. PolyMaps cannot be used to track users.
The technology behind PolyMaps
The display of the blue dot is based on an indoor positioning system (IPS) consisting of 15,000 beacons. Beacons are small, inconspicuous devices that are installed on the walls and ceilings of ETH buildings and emit Bluetooth signals. Mobile phones use these signals to locate their position, even without an internet connection. PolyMaps can be used in and between all ETH campus buildings - the only exceptions are currently the HIF and HPT buildings and buildings under renovation.
The positioning accuracy is around five metres. This is not quite on a par with GPS positioning. However, PolyMaps can be used in areas without mobile phone or GPS reception. Inside ETH buildings, the blue dot is only displayed in so-called circulation areas. For example, if you are in a seminar room or in the main building’s large hall, the blue dot will be displayed in the corridor in front of the room or at the edge of the hall.
Frequently asked questions
The indoor map application PolyMaps is part of the ETH App (download here) and is used via the "365体育官网_365体育备用【手机在线】" tab. While an internet connection is required to
load the map data, it also works in offline mode. To use PolyMaps, the
Bluetooth and location services of the mobile device must be activated and
enabled for the ETH App.
Activate Bluetooth and enable location services on your mobile device. Check in the system settings if these services are enabled for the ETH App. Restart the ETH App.
If no position - i.e. no blue dot - is displayed on the map, make sure that you are in a circulation area (corridors, stairs, open spaces, etc.) in a building equipped with PolyMaps.
If this is the case, and still no position is displayed, a Bluetooth beacon may have failed. Please report this with a precise description of your position to .
To operate PolyMaps, your mobile device receives Bluetooth and satellite navigation signals. The position is calculated on your mobile device only. No position data is recorded or shared.
No, PolyMaps cannot be used to track users.
Please report bugs by email to .
PolyMaps positioning only considers circulation areas (corridors, stairs, open spaces, etc.). No reliable position is calculated in offices, lecture halls, seminar rooms, etc. Depending on the location of the room, your mobile device may continue to receive positioning data from a nearby circulation area and therefore show a position in the corridor.
The main teaching buildings on the Zentrum and H?nggerberg campuses, as well as the Oerlikon sites (OAT, OCT and ONA) and the BSS in Basel, are currently equipped with the Bluetooth beacons required for indoor navigation. This is a total of 45 buildings with around 400 floors and more than 400,000 square metres of floor space. An overview of the availability of PolyMaps can be found on this map.