floorwhere

Floorwhere is a conceptual framework for representing locations inside multi-story buildings. It provides a uniform way to reference a position by its floor, building, and a precise coordinate on that floor, supporting integration between building information modeling, geographic information systems, and indoor navigation.

The term floorwhere combines "floor" and "where" to emphasize spatial localization across levels. At its core is a FloorWhere entity that links a building identifier, a floor identifier, and a position on the floor plane defined by x and y coordinates, with optional heading or orientation. Additional attributes may include zone identifiers, area shapes, and metadata such as accuracy, timestamp, or data source.

Formats and interoperability: Floorwhere is described for data interchange using common formats such as JSON-LD, RDF, or YAML. Implementations typically include a consistent coordinate reference system, a stable floor labeling scheme, and mappings to related concepts in existing standards.

Applications: It is intended to support indoor positioning, asset tracking, facility management, and path planning. By providing a shared representation of "where on which floor," floorwhere can facilitate cross-system queries and smoother handoffs between devices and services.

Status and relation to standards: As a proposed concept, floorwhere has not been adopted as a formal standard. It is discussed in industry and academic contexts as a complementary approach to established standards such as IndoorGML and IFC, with an emphasis on aligning floor-based localization across diverse platforms.

See also: IndoorGML, BIM, IFC, indoor navigation.