Mapiq: Optimising Workplace with an Innovative, Cloud-Based Office Platform

Mapiq is a unified, cloud-based platform that helps optimise workspaces and activates the true potential of employees. At the heart of Mapiq's platform lies its web application with a digital 3D model of buildings. The platform acts as the ideal way to get more insight into the building, navigate through it, orientate people and find their bearings.

With Mapiq, every individual can create the perfect work environment, including all the facilities that one needs at a given time to maximize productivity. For real estate and facility managers, Mapiq provides the insights necessary for management to make data-driven decisions about space usage and building efficiency.

Enabling Smart Offices 

Working takes up an important and large part of people's lives. Mapiq's drive is to make people's workday as smooth, social and healthy as possible.

In recent years, the smart office and the way we use it have undergone a massive transformation. Flex-, activity-based or agile working are the keywords in this revolution, meaning that employees are given the power to choose when and where they work, either in the office or from other locations. "Office spaces are designed to support this flexible work and maximise utilisation. While it even once seemed that the office would disappear altogether, we believe it is here to stay" Sander Schutte, Founder and CEO of Mapiq. "To reinstate the office at the centre of working life, Mapiq believes that we need to review our understanding of the office spaces and the role that technology plays in providing an optimal-, responsive workplace."

App from The Edge

It all started with two friends, Sander and Jasper, and a really big project: Deloitte's 'The Edge'. Soon after, corporates such as Akzo Nobel, PWC, Unilever looked to Mapiq to improve their buildings and the company has been flying ever since. In just a few years, Mapiq has rapidly grown its client base, network of partners and blossomed into growing team ambitious professionals, and looking to grow even faster. According to the two founders, Mapiq owes its success mainly to the Mapiq-team: "The team consist of developers, interaction designers, people who lead the implementation projects, marketing, sales, finance; every day, everyone works with great enthusiasm and passion on the development of even better products".

Connecting the Office world with IoT

Nowadays, buildings are complex systems. Almost every part of the building is separately developed, which makes the systems function independently of each other. To keep an overview of final efficiency and savings, in other words, truly become smart, Mapiq uses IoT to connect all the different systems to each other and become integrated.

Ultimately, the building generates all kinds of data via these sensors but also via the lighting, security, coffee machine, and heating systems. By way of 'smart' software, all of the data from these systems is integrated and linked. This enables Mapiq to see not only what users are doing and using but it can also discover patterns using Machine Learning and AI. By interpreting these patterns, the company can quickly find out what the users of a building need and what they will do in the future.

Smart software systems such as Mapiq are essential in combining various sources of data. These systems form the basis for optimising the property management. At the front end, it's an interface where all data is clearly presented to the user. At the back end, existing and new systems are connected. Only then, an office building is really future proof.

The people-centric office platform of Mapiq

What makes Mapiq unique is that the company is focused on the needs of the end user with user-friendly apps and 3D maps. "We believe that people are the most valuable asset of a company and making sure they can have the optimal environment will provide you with the biggest ROI. By really focusing on the needs of our end user in a world that is not yet paying attention to that. Eventually, buildings will become responsive as they adjust to the needs of the end user. Contact with the end user is essential for this," Sander mentioned.

The company is also working based on the ecosystem model as it's impossible to do everything alone. In a smart building, traditionally separated domains like parking, access management, facility management, WiFi, lighting and audio-video should work seamlessly together. "The key to success lies in exploring new ways of creating partnerships with companies willing to work together in realizing truly smart buildings."

One of those partnerships is Wipro Lighting. Wipro will integrate Mapiq into their Internet of Lighting (IoL)TM Smart Building Proposition. For Mapiq, this partnership represents the global ambitions of the company. The agility and innovation of this Dutch company combined with the experience and service of one of the world's most recognised technology companies make a promising formula for a global rollout. The first smart offices in India arising from this partnership are expected to go live before the summer of 2019.

Insights into Disruptive Technologies

Mapiq taps into disruptive technologies such as cloud computing, big data, artificial intelligence and automation to make sure employees can have a great day at work. The company uses IoT and Cloud computing to collect the big data it needs to start exploring trends in how the building is used. By using AI, Mapiq can start making predictions and give employees suggestions on where to go and start saving a lot of time during their workday. For example, the company uses a machine learning algorithm to determine which meeting room fit best to the end users' needs.