Hey Reader,

Microsoft 365 Places, set to launch in Q4 2024, represents a significant leap forward in Location Services technology. While not yet achieving full Care Traffic Control capabilities, it lays crucial groundwork for developing operational digital twins - systems that visualize business activity rather than just physical building attributes. This post explores the key features of MS 365 Places and how they contribute to the broader vision of intelligent workplaces.

TL;DR:

Microsoft 365 Places introduces space management tools that utilize high-fidelity building maps, creating a foundation for operational digital twins and advanced location-based services.

Details:

Microsoft 365 Places aims to address the complex challenges of space utilization in hybrid work environments. Its core features include:

1. Workspace Booking: Allows employees to reserve rooms with specific configurations.
2. Occupancy and Utilization Data: Provides insights for space allocation and design decisions.
3. Wayfinding and Navigation: Offers GIS-grade floor plans for easy navigation.
4. Energy Saving Insights: Uses space usage data to optimize energy consumption.

Getting started with Maps:

The cornerstone of these features is accurate, high-fidelity building maps. This is the process:

1. The building CAD needs to be "ground-truthed" to ensure it is going to be accurate for wayfinding.
2. The CAD is turned into IMDF by a qualified vendor.
3. The maps (IMDF) are uploaded to Places and configured there.

These maps, created using the IMDF standard, serve multiple purposes beyond just MS 365 Places:

• Enable "blue dot" indoor navigation on Apple devices. There is no cost for this service.
• Provide mapping data for other location-based systems (RTLS, RFID). GIS maps can be rendered in any format.
• Support wayfinding systems for patients and visitors.
• Facilitate fleet management for mobile devices.

Then Space Management and Beyond:

The stated value from Places is its ability to use the real-world synchronization to drive efficiency in the use of space and energy. This is related to our operational digital twin because it is synchronizing part of the operations. Making the people who are part of the operations more efficient is a key attribute of the operational digital twin. The building automation system is used to create energy savings and making Places aware of the occupancy levels creates a tighter feedback loop for creating that savings.

Let's use a little bit of imagination and ask, if we can see there are 5 people in a conference room, why can't we see 5 IV Pumps in a closet? If we can see there is one person in a shared office, why can't we see there is a patient in a patient room? Places can do both. Extending this telemetry deeper into the operations is how we get to care traffic control.

Care Traffic Control is about workflow and Places knows nothing about workflow. However, Azure has tools that do workflows well. For those of us that are impatient to wait for Microsoft to package this for us, the building blocks are there to do some interesting experiments.

Below is a low fidelity (lacks patient identity) proof of concept (POC) that we can do for patient flow. With this POC, you can see the patient when in their room with occupancy (presence), and when in motion with a patient transporter. All the data is collected and analyzed for its spatial and temporal relationships.

1. Install the maps and configure Places​
2. Set up the blue dot for iPhones with Apple Indoor
3. Connect Places with building occupancy signals​
4. Install the same occupancy sensors used for Places in some patient rooms.
5. Issue iPhones to few transporters
   • Most older iPhones will work
   • Make sure they are unlocked from a carrier
6. Set up location streaming for the iPhone.
7. Stream the iPhone data to Azure IoT Central
8. Connect IoT Central to IoT Hub.
9. Render the iPhone data on Places​
10. Render the occupancy data on Places​
11. If you have an RTLS show wheelchairs on the map
    1. Connect the RTLS to IoT hub​
    2. Put tags on a couple wheel chairs
    3. Render the data in Places (same as step 9)

Summary of where we are:

Location data for:

1. Occupancy for the patient in their room.
2. Traces for the patient transports associated with the patient.
3. The location of the devices used to move the patient.

What do we do with this data?

1. Merge with Patient Transport jobs data to separate the traces into jobs.
2. Do a spatial analysis to create events for arrival, departure and dwell.
3. Correlate with the occupancy data to reinforce the events
4. Add additional events for status from the jobs data.

As interesting as it is to see the data on the map, the power of this analysis is across a longer planning horizon. Real-time perception needs real-time action so this POC falls short there. But this real-time data will be much more accurate than the systems that are currently trying to measure patient's movement around the building.

Aggregated over days and weeks, this data will show patient transport delays and exactly where the delays are occurring. It will show the inaccuracy of the data that is currently being used. This is very important because giving too much weight to bad data can be worse than having no data at all.

Key Takeaways:

• Microsoft 365 Places marks a significant step towards operational digital twins
• High-fidelity IMDF maps are crucial and have applications beyond just space management
• Integration with other systems (like RTLS and building automation) amplifies the benefits
• The technology has far-reaching implications for industries beyond just office spaces
• Privacy and data security considerations will be paramount as these systems evolve

Implementing the inexpensive POC above would demonstrate a CTC workflow and the operational digital twin. If scaled, a solution like this could drive sustainable improvements that persist because of the monitoring that is available.

Conclusion:

Microsoft 365 Places represents an exciting development in the world of location-based services and intelligent workplaces. While it's not yet a full realization of Care Traffic Control, it's a meaningful step in that direction. As we move towards more integrated, data-driven environments, the foundations laid by technologies like MS 365 Places will be crucial. Remember, there is much more one this in the newletter. Stay tuned to Why Where Matters for more insights into the evolving landscape of location-based services and operational digital twins.

Until next week,

Paul E Zieske ​Location Based Services Consulting ​​​