When you think of smart buildings, indoor maps are probably not the first thing that comes to your mind. 

However, indoor maps are a key component of smart buildings – and probably also the only component that has the ability to integrate with and maximize the value of all of your other smart building technologies.

Why smart buildings need indoor maps

Most people think of maps as something you use for navigation, but the secret superpower of digital indoor maps is really their ability to combine and visualize important data. 

The objective of a smart building is to create a comfortable, safe, and productive environment, reduce costs, and preserve the environment. An indoor map serves as a smart building enabler that helps you achieve all three things. Let us take a look at how.

1. Creating a comfortable, safe, and productive environment

With more people working from home, room and desk booking has become one of the most important office technologies within the past two years.

To be honest, you do not need a map to enable workers to book a workstation and you do not need a map to show occupancy data either. But how do you expect employees to find an available desk if all you provide them with is a desk ID and an office building of 500+ desks?

An indoor map makes it easy for office workers to find and book available resources, reducing frustration and time waste. It also makes it easier to locate and collaborate with colleagues which can otherwise be quite a challenge when no one has a designated space.

Finally, the map enables employees to see room temperatures and air quality, making it easier for them to find a workspace that matches their preferences.

2. Reducing costs

Real estate is expensive so optimizing your space utilization can have a significant impact on your bottom line.

The Edge, the smartest building in the world and headquarters of Deloitte, has increased the effective capacity of the building by 140% thanks to smart building technology.

An indoor map helps you gain insights into how your spaces are being used, so you can optimize them accordingly. Maybe you find out that the smaller meeting rooms are always booked while the larger meeting rooms are left unused most of the time. Or maybe you find out that smaller meeting rooms are often used by only one person, indicating a need for quiet zones where people can concentrate without interruptions.

An indoor mapping platform like MapsIndoors also offers integrated facility management, so it becomes even easier to control and optimize the performance of your facility.

3. Preserve the environment

Buildings are responsible for 40% of global energy consumption and 33% of greenhouse gas emissions. However, with smart building technology, it is possible to significantly reduce this.

In smart buildings, HVAC, lighting, and heating automatically adjust to the amount of natural sunlight and air quality in a room, reducing energy consumption. However, with an indoor map, you will be able to further optimize your energy consumption.

By combining and visualizing historical data on energy consumption and occupancy on a map of your spaces, you will be able to detect areas with energy wastage. This could be rooms or areas where you use a lot of energy even though the area is only used by a few people. 

This insight can help you optimize space and energy usage in the area or even close off that part of the building if the space is not needed outside of peak hours.

If you want to know more about how an indoor map can help you optimize your office space or smart building, reach out to us here.