Google's Android system may have updated its Google Maps feature to work indoors but Nokia is raising the bar by having their indoor maps in 3D.

Nokia Research is aiming to provide its users with detailed 3D layouts of a venue that will be accurate up to 21cm.

"We want to take what's been done in navigation outdoors and bring it inside," said Fabio Belloni, a principal researcher in Nokia's radio systems lab that looks for new ways to use networks.

Nokia's indoor mapping is significantly different from Google because it will use 3D maps which are more detailed than 2D maps. The mobile device manufacturer's 3D maps will use Bluetooth 4.0 technology and antenna arrays to create the detailed maps of the room. Nokia gathered 30 companies including chip makers and service providers at its Sunnyvale, California site to demo the prototype.

Nokia researchers placed a Bluetooth tag on a Parrot Drone, a helicopter device that connects to mobile phones. They placed the drone in a room with Bluetooth Low Energy antenna arrays mounted on the ceiling that can track Bluetooth tags. The prototype triangulated the helicopter to construct a 3D map of the room.

The practical applications for this tech are many. As a navigation tool this could blow 2D maps out of the water. Imagine navigating through an unknown mall with realistic 3D images in real-time. The technology can also be used for gaming and even as a security system. Stores can attach Bluetooth tags to their products so even if thieves were able to run off with the item mall security can track them easily.

3D mapping is still a prototype for now but Nokia is planning to release it commercially by 2013. As for price the Bluetooth arrays could be inexpensive and could be integrated into Wi-Fi access points in the buildings. The main question would be if users would want this technology in their phones where it would be easy to track their movement.