Mapping Platform 2021: The most important feature

Indoor navigation platform, wayfinding platform, mapping platform - it goes by many names - but do you know what to look for when choosing the right platform for your map-based project or solution? 

Seven years ago, ‘indoor navigation’ was becoming a buzzword as venues started to recognize the benefits of enhancing visitor and employee experience. Wayfinding is still a key component if you want to give people a smooth experience, but while it was a rather new technology primarily used by tech savvy facilities seven years ago, it is a commodity today. People expect to be able to navigate seamlessly from point A to point B and they do not want to study a static map to do so. That (and advances in technology) is why all indoor navigation platforms and mapping platforms offer highly accurate wayfinding today. But if accuracy is no longer a differentiator, what should you look for when choosing the right platform?

Live data is the 2021 game-changer

Needs and requirements for a mapping solution often depends on the facility’s industry. For instance, the aforementioned wayfinding feature is an important feature in hospitals and airports, where new patients and travellers come in every day. In universities and educational institutions, however, wayfinding is mostly used around semester start. Yet, there is one feature that your mapping platform should have no matter your industry: Dynamic Integration.

A dynamic integration is a real-time data integration that provides an interactive experience on your map. By integrating your mapping platform with the third-party data systems that you use, including IoT devices, booking systems, and sensor systems, you empower people to easily surface the information they need in one visual experience, turning data into actionable insights.

Today’s modern facilities are designed to clear the path of hurdles for employees, facility members, and visitors. They are smart, integrated, and connected, but they have one major

problem: data. The problem is not the lack of data. Instead, the problem is the overload of information that is spread across disparate software platforms: the segregated data. Boosted by the pandemic, it has never been more important that people in your organization can easily access this information and with dynamic integrations they can. 

How different facilities benefit from live data

Depending on your venue and the users of your solution, there are several benefits of dynamic integrations and live data. It is, however, important to choose a platform that lets you integrate with any third-party data system, so you can tailor a solution that matches your needs and you are not limited by the platform. 

Corporate offices and universities

In corporate offices and universities real-time occupancy data improves collaboration and productivity by empowering employees and students to easily see and book available desks and meeting rooms as well as locating colleagues. 

Stadiums, airports, amusement parks, and event venues

Stadiums, airports, and amusement parks may not have much in common except for this: they can all offer visitors a much better and safer experience with live information. 

It doesn’t matter if you are buying something to eat at the stadium, waiting for security at the airport, or if you want to try a new ride at the amusement park, standing in line is annoying and a waste of time. By adding live waiting time to points of interest on the map of your spaces, visitors can see how long a queue is before getting there. Based on this information they can make a decision on whether to get in line now, find a nearby alternative, or wait until the line is shorter. This gives visitors a better experience, but it also increases safety as you can use the information to identify bottlenecks and add resources in order to avoid overcrowded areas.

Hospitals

As mentioned, wayfinding is an important feature in hospitals and healthcare complexes, as it reduces patient stress and no-shows. In addition, a dynamic integration with a parking lot management system will allow patients and visitors to easily find an available parking space, thus improving the experience even further. However, live data can potentially also save lives at hospitals. 

By tracking and showing real-time location of movable equipment and doctors, staff can easily and quickly find the medical equipment or the specialist they need right now. As MapsIndoors supports profile-based map views, staff can have one map view with this information, while patients and visitors have a different map with the information that is relevant to them.

If you want to know more about dynamic integrations, reach out to one of our experts to discuss your needs.