Room-to-room navigation for a building no off-the-shelf tool could map.
An EdTech startup needed indoor wayfinding across 50+ rooms. Every existing product either required expensive hardware, didn't support custom floor plan layouts, or couldn't give facility managers a way to update room names without a developer.
50+
Rooms mapped
100+
Engineering hours
8+ mo
Ongoing contract
0
External mapping services needed
Off-the-shelf indoor mapping tools don't bend to complex layouts.
The building had a non-standard layout - rooms that didn't align to a standard grid, multiple sections that looked identical, and facility managers who needed to rename rooms as their use changed.
Every existing product evaluated required proprietary hardware, couldn't support custom floor plan tiles, or locked room updates behind a developer workflow.
What they evaluated and rejected:
- MapsPeople: Required proprietary hardware sensors
- HERE Indoor: Couldn't support custom floor plan tile sets
- Google Maps indoor: Building didn't qualify for the indoor maps program
- Simple SVG + JS: No routing, no room-to-room pathfinding
Custom floor plan tiles. Custom routing. Custom CMS.
We built the whole stack from scratch using MapLibre GL JS - the open-source mapping library - with a custom tile set for the floor plan and a React + Node.js admin CMS for facility managers.
Custom floor plan tiling
The building floor plan was converted into a custom tile set using MapLibre's vector tile spec. Each room, corridor, and landmark is a named, routable feature. No proprietary hardware.
Room-to-room routing
A* pathfinding algorithm on the room graph. User selects "from" and "to" - the shortest walkable path is drawn on the map. Works across multiple building sections.
Facility manager CMS
A React admin interface lets facility managers rename rooms, update descriptions, mark rooms as temporarily unavailable, and push changes live - without touching the codebase.
Real-time tile cache invalidation
When a facility manager updates a room, the map tile cache clears and the updated name appears for users within seconds. No redeploy, no developer involvement.
Mobile-responsive
The wayfinding app works on any device with a browser. No app store install required. Students scan a QR code and get the map immediately.
Ongoing contract
The engagement is ongoing - 8+ months. We handle feature requests (new room types, accessibility routing) and infrastructure updates as the building evolves.
What was used.
Used daily. Updated by the team without a developer.
The app is live and used daily by students. Facility managers update room names and descriptions themselves via the CMS. The building has gone through two room layout changes since launch - both handled through the admin interface, not a redeploy.
The engagement has expanded to include accessibility routing and a room availability feature. 100+ engineering hours logged.
Client name withheld at their request. Reference available on request.
Off-the-shelf didn't work. Custom did.
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