March 17, 2025

8 Essential Factors for Choosing an Indoor Mapping Platform for Campuses and Hospitals

Choosing an indoor mapping platform for a university or hospital campus requires more than finding a visually appealing map. The platform must help students, patients, staff and visitors navigate complex, multi-building environments while giving facilities and IT teams control over map updates, integrations, accessibility and data.

The best indoor navigation software connects indoor and outdoor routes, scales across buildings and campuses, and works with the systems people already use. IIt should also provide useful booking data and navigation usage statistics without compromising privacy.

Here are eight essential factors to consider when evaluating an indoor mapping platform for a university or hospital campus.

1. Accuracy and Reliability

Accurate maps are non-negotiable. Inaccurate digital maps, mislabeled rooms or outdated routes frustrate users and hurt your reputation.

Consider:

How does the provider ensure accuracy and updates?
Are the maps aligned with facility layouts?‍

Tip: Choose a provider offering dynamic updates and ongoing quality control.

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2. Self-Service Map Updates

Buildings change, and so should your maps. Waiting days or weeks for providers to update maps leads to confusion.

Ask:

Can we make changes ourselves?
How quickly do updates go live?
Can we manage different layers of information (e.g., staff-only vs. public)?

Why it matters: Self-service updates keep your maps accurate and useful every day.

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3. Seamless Integration with Your Existing Systems

Indoor maps should connect with systems you already use, such as:

Appointment and scheduling platforms.
Room and desk booking tools.
Time-tabling systems.

Tip: Look for industry-specific integrations, like healthcare or education systems, to deliver seamless user experiences.

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4. User Experience and Accessibility: Built for Everyone

Maps should be easy and intuitive, accessible on:

Mobile, kiosks, and signage.
Accessible for people with disabilities (ADA compliance).

Pro tip: Think of first-time visitors, if they can’t figure it out in seconds, they won’t use it.

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5. Scalability and Flexibility for Growing Needs

Your needs evolve, your indoor mapping solution should too.

Consider:

Can we add new buildings and floors easily?
Is the platform modular and cloud-based?
Can we customize maps for different audiences?

Why it matters: A scalable solution grows with your organization.

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6. Actionable Analytics and Space Usage Insights

Analytics capabilities vary between indoor mapping platforms. MazeMap provides resource-booking analytics that help organizations understand which spaces are booked or available. For indoor navigation, clients can monitor the number of user sessions.

Booking data can help universities and other organizations identify demand for rooms, desks and shared spaces. However, booking statistics do not necessarily show whether a space was physically occupied.

When evaluating a platform, ask what data is available, what each metric measures, how the data is protected and whether it can be exported.

Learn more about MazeMap User Analytics.

7. Security, Privacy, and Compliance: Protecting Sensitive Data

In industries like pharma, healthcare and education, security and compliance are essential.

Ask:

Are they GDPR, HIPAA, or SOC2 compliant?
How is user data handled?
Do they have clear privacy policies and certifications?

Pro tip: Choose a provider that makes data security a top priority.

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8. Reliable Support and Ongoing Partnership

Mapping is not a one-time project, you need a partner, not just a vendor.

Look for:

Dedicated support teams.
Proactive updates and check-ins.
Training and documentation for your team.

Why it matters: Good support keeps your maps accurate and effective long-term.

What Universities Should Look for in an Indoor Mapping Platform

Indoor navigation platforms improve the campus visitor experience by giving people clear directions before and during their visit. Instead of relying on static maps, signage or assistance from staff, visitors can search for a destination and follow a route across buildings, floors and outdoor areas.

A university platform should support:

Indoor and outdoor navigation across multiple buildings
Turn-by-turn directions to rooms, lecture halls and services
Accessible routes that avoid stairs or other barriers
Mobile, web, kiosk and QR-code access
Different map views for students, staff and visitors
Integration with timetables, student applications and facilities systems
Map updates when rooms, departments or routes change
Booking analytics and navigation session statistics

NTNU spans 17 campuses and 144 buildings. The university registered more than 12.5 million MazeMap sessions in 2022, demonstrating how indoor navigation can become part of everyday campus infrastructure.

Read the NTNU campus navigation case study or explore our complete guide to indoor navigation for campuses.

What Hospitals Should Look for in Indoor Wayfinding Software

Hospital navigation must account for patients and visitors who may be unfamiliar with the facility, under time pressure or require an accessible route. A suitable platform should connect parking areas, entrances, buildings, floors, departments and individual appointment locations in one continuous journey.

For a large, multi-building hospital, evaluate whether the software provides:

Navigation between indoor and outdoor areas
Accurate routing across buildings and floors
Accessible route options
Links to specific departments or appointment locations
Integration with appointment reminders and check-in systems
Kiosk and mobile access
Separate public and staff map views
Self-service tools for keeping maps and routes current
Security and privacy controls appropriate for healthcare environments

For hospitals in the United States, the platform should also be evaluated against the organization’s accessibility, privacy, security and procurement requirements. Creating a country-specific navigation platform is not normally necessary; the priority is whether the solution can be configured for the hospital’s buildings, systems and local requirements.

Explore MazeMap’s indoor wayfinding solutions for hospitals.

Quick Indoor Mapping Platform Evaluation Checklist

Before selecting a platform, ask:

Can it provide accurate navigation across all our buildings and outdoor areas?
Can users follow accessible routes?
Can our own team update rooms, destinations and routes?
Does it work on mobile devices, web browsers and kiosks?
Can it integrate with our existing scheduling, appointment or facilities systems?
Can different audiences receive different map views?
What booking analytics and navigation usage statistics are available?
How are security, privacy and data ownership handled?
Can the platform scale to additional buildings or campuses?
What onboarding, training and ongoing support are included?

The right platform should solve today’s navigation problems while providing the flexibility to support future buildings, integrations and use cases.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do indoor navigation platforms improve the campus visitor experience?

Indoor navigation platforms help visitors find buildings, rooms and services using searchable maps and step-by-step directions. They reduce reliance on static signage, make accessible routes easier to find and allow visitors to plan their journey before arriving on campus.

Which indoor mapping platforms offer analytics for campus space usage?

Analytics capabilities vary between platforms. MazeMap provides resource-booking statistics that show which spaces are booked or available. It also provides the number of indoor-navigation sessions. Organizations needing physical occupancy or foot-traffic data should confirm whether additional systems or integrations are required.

What indoor wayfinding software is best for multi-building hospitals in the United States?

The best option is a platform that connects indoor and outdoor routes across the complete hospital campus, supports accessible navigation, integrates with appointment and check-in systems and allows maps to be updated easily. United States hospitals should also assess each platform against their own accessibility, privacy, security and procurement requirements.