A Scientometric Analysis of Beacon Technology Publications

Beacon technology, which uses Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) signals, has emerged as a breakthrough option for enabling location-based applications and connecting the digital and physical worlds. Its applications include retail malls, museums, airports, and smart cities, enabling real-time communication, navigation, and customer engagement. This study uses scientometric analysis to assess global research trends in beacon technology from 2015 to 2024, utilising data from the Web of Science database (869 records). The findings show a constant increase in research production, peaking in 2024 (14.27%), with China (28.31%) and the United States (17.72%) leading the way. The most common disciplinary categories are Computer Science Information Systems (21.29%), Engineering Electrical & Electronic (32.11%), and Telecommunications (23.22%). The majority of research is disseminated through English-language journal papers (99.54%), with Sensors as the top journal (89.53%). The largest financing organisation is the National Natural Science