Many large office facilities implement integrated workspace management systems (IWMS) to optimize the use of their workplace resources and facilities. If your facility management already uses an IWMS, you’re most likely already aware of the benefits of increased usage efficiency and reduced maintenance costs. A lot of IWMS specialize in space optimization and look to enable facility owners to either cut costs on how much space they need or to make the existing space more efficient. In fact, research shows that the deployment of an IWMS improves facility usage efficiency by 42% and reduces facility maintenance costs by 14%.
But while an IWMS is a valuable tool for any large facility, pairing it with a dynamic mapping platform can even further extend the IWMS experience and take it to new heights. How so? You’ll find out in this blog where we’ll explain just some of the benefits that not only facility management, but all users of the facility can gain from extending your current IWMS solution with a dynamic mapping platform.
An IWMS is a useful tool for facility management to manage a building and keep building maps and floor plans up-to-date as well as to manage and track building assets. However, when it comes to IWMS, the true value of the data rarely extends to other parts of an organization such as office employees, facility workers, or venue visitors.
By pairing your IWMS with a dynamic mapping platform, such as MapsIndoors, you can extend all of your data to offer a workplace application for end-users who normally wouldn’t have access to a facility management system. MapsIndoors allows you to integrate your data into a map of your spaces to provide users with a visual experience with all the information they need. Additionally, the use of dynamic integrations allows you to show data on the map in real time. This means that directly via your map, users will be able to, for instance, book meeting rooms, and get occupancy data and indoor wayfinding. To be able to offer these features, the map data will need to be georeferenced. While IWMS systems can still show interactive floor plans, they don’t integrate well with external data that relies on latitudes and longitudes. By pairing your IWMS with MapsIndoors, it becomes possible to georeference the map data and do geospatial calculations that determine points-of-interest locations on the map and get the opportunity to offer indoor wayfinding.
In addition to enabling you to visualize your data on an interactive map, MapsIndoors likewise easily draws data from the IWMS, enabling a smooth and simple connection between the two systems. This is especially beneficial in cases where you need to change parts of the CAD files, be it the outlines of a room, the number of desks, or the names of meeting rooms. MapsIndoors will link the geometries in the CAD files together with the source of attributes or properties for geometric objects. Thus, by using integrations that parse the CAD files in the IWMS, MapsIndoors will automatically detect the changes and synchronize and update its own data to match the IWMS’. This means that facility management won’t need to worry about updating multiple systems when wanting to make changes to building maps and floor plans in the IWMS.
A dynamic mapping platform is a valuable tool for all parts of the organization, from facility managers to employees and guests, especially so with the integration of real-time dynamic data. Facility and cleaning management can use these live data integrations to track how many people have been using the same space within a certain period of time and allocate resources accordingly for more efficient cleaning of the facilities. Likewise, users of the facility can check the availability of meeting rooms and desks directly via the map, and reserve the resources they need, and even locate their colleagues in the office.
For employees, a dynamic mapping platform can have a positive impact on time optimization. Some large venues have complex infrastructures that are easy to get lost in and employees and guests alike often have to spend valuable time trying to find their way around the space. With indoor wayfinding, users can be guided through interactive and detailed maps to their destination, be it meeting rooms, restrooms, cafeterias, and so on.
Are you interested in hearing more about how MapsIndoors can take your IWMS experience to the next level? Our experts are always ready to assist you with any questions you may have. If you want more inspiration on how MapsIndoors can benefit your business, take a look at our blog for more content.