Managing and sharing Indoor Map Data - IMDF format
Managing map updates with IMDF for Apple Maps and other Partners
If you are using IMDF (Indoor Mapping Data Format) as your map format for indoor maps or are looking to explore this, one of the critical questions that you need to ask is how will you manage updates and edits to your indoor map data once you have set it up. Whether you are looking to leverage off Apple’s Indoor Positioning, share information with technology partners or see your maps on Apple Maps, there needs to be consistency in the information that is shared to ensure that your map data can be used effectively
With Indoor Mapping Data Format, IMDF, now the standard for indoor mapping applications following its OGC approval, it is important to know how to leverage and manage this map format to maximise the value that choosing this format creates for your venue
Why is IMDF used?
One of the main reasons why venues look to IMDF is to benefit from Apple’s Indoor Positioning Service. I.e. once you have created an IMDF of your venue you can upload to Apple for validation and start the process to get IPS for your building. There is a process in itself to getting this deployed and you can start here: https://register.apple.com/indoor and for help ‘navigating’ this journey then please do reach out to us for support
Aside from indoor positioning, certain venues - like airports, can benefit from visibility on Apple maps by uploading their IMDFs to Apple to ensure their venue and relevant content appears on Apple Maps
Also, if you want to share your venue map data to your venue partners, this could be the marketing team updating the website, service operators such as engineering and facilities teams or airlines who use an airport map within their apps, it is important that you are able to share accurate and consistent data
How do you manage your indoor maps and share them accurately?
The key is to have a map management platform that is flexible enough to manage custom changes to your map data, while having the functionality to export those changes into, in this case, an IMDF format that will be the standard map format used by all partners
The other complication is being able to manage data so that different types of map data are shared to different users - the marketing team will use a different set to the operations team and so forth
At Point we have developed our content management system with the aim of giving the controls to the user so the map can be edited and styled to match their visual identity needs. This functionality is possible along with the ability to export your maps to be shared in a consistent format that other users can then use in their platforms
At the core of this, is having a content management system that allows venues and the operators to manage map updates in a user-friendly way while retaining a set of common rules that allows data to be shared effectively
If you have read this far, we assume that this may be relevant for you so please do message us to see what is possible!
Some of the key benefits of IMDF include (What AI is saying about IMDF!):
- Interoperability: IMDF provides a common format for indoor maps, allowing data from different sources to be combined and used together. This enables organizations to create more comprehensive and accurate indoor maps
- Improved accuracy: IMDF includes guidelines for data quality, helping to ensure that indoor map data is accurate and consistent
- Enhanced user experience: IMDF makes it possible to create indoor maps that are more detailed and user-friendly, providing users with more information and better navigation experiences
- Increased efficiency: By using IMDF, organizations can streamline their indoor mapping processes, reducing the time and effort required to create and maintain indoor maps
- Better decision-making: IMDF provides a standardized way to represent indoor map data, making it easier to analyze and use this data to support decision-making
- Increased accessibility: IMDF can be used to create indoor maps that are accessible to people with disabilities, helping to improve access to buildings and facilities