Your smartwatch may soon know your location with stunning accuracy—down to a few centimeters.
In a world-first achievement, researchers at the University of Otago in New Zealand have developed new tracking algorithms that dramatically improve how precisely smartwatches can pinpoint their position.
The research, led by Associate Professor Robert Odolinski from Otago’s School of Surveying, was conducted in collaboration with Google’s Android Context group and the Chinese Academy of Sciences.
Using these new algorithms, the team demonstrated that a smartwatch could determine its location to within just a few centimeters for four hours straight—an unprecedented level of precision for wearable technology.
The experiment used Google’s GnssLogger app, which records data from multiple global navigation satellite systems (GNSS), including GPS, Galileo, and BeiDou.
By combining signals from several satellite networks, the smartwatch was able to achieve centimeter-level accuracy, rivaling the precision of professional-grade surveying equipment.
The results were recently published in the journal GPS Solutions.
For decades, such high accuracy was only possible with expensive, specialized equipment used by industries like surveying, construction, and engineering.
These systems relied on a technique called carrier-phase positioning, which measures subtle changes in radio signals transmitted by satellites.
While this method is extremely precise, it required bulky antennas and high-end receivers—far too costly and power-hungry for consumer devices like watches or phones.
“While the use of carrier-phase signals has long been known to improve positioning performance, the specialized antenna and receivers needed for this have traditionally come at a cost far beyond the reach of many who would benefit from the technology,” says Associate Professor Odolinski.
Smartwatches first introduced GPS features in 1999, but technical limitations in hardware and battery life prevented them from handling the complex signals needed for high-precision tracking.
Now, advances in chip design and processing power have changed that, making it possible for smartwatches to access and process the same sophisticated satellite data used by professionals.
“This is just the beginning of what wearable high-precision positioning can potentially achieve,” says Odolinski.
If future smartwatches can deliver centimeter-level accuracy in real-world conditions—not just in controlled tests—it could transform how we navigate, exercise, and interact with the world.
From mapping runs and bike rides to guiding drones or assisting in emergency response, this new generation of smartwatches may soon be the most precise navigators we can wear on our wrists.
Source: University of Otago.
