Signify, formerly Philips Lighting, has updated its Interact Office software to help employees maintain safe distancing as they return to work after the lockdown.
 
As governments and business around the world strive to get people back into the office after the shutdown, keeping employees healthy and safe is a major concern, and physical distancing measures need to be in place to protect employees. Signify has optimised features in the Interact Office applications to help employees keep their distance and stay healthy and safe in the office.
 
By using the Interact software powered by the connected lighting infrastructure, building managers can take critical decisions based on data rather than assumptions.
 
The Interact Office Workspace app enables companies to use their connected lighting infrastructure for indoor navigation, guiding employees to uncrowded areas of the building and enabling them to reserve a desk in a space where occupancy is still at acceptable levels, all while ensuring physical distancing rules are maintained.
 
The space management application provides data insights that enable building managers to make informed decisions about how to manage their space. The application effectively monitors real-time occupancy data, allowing building managers to identify the most densely populated areas in the building and set Covid-19 related occupancy limitations. Data collected from the Interact connected lighting system can also identify any high-traffic areas so they can be cleaned more frequently.
 
“Now more than ever, technology can help us ensure that businesses can deliver an optimal working environment as we gradually start to make our return to office life,” said Ronnie Koster, a business leader at Signify. “Interact will support to ease the transition and keep everyone safe and healthy.”
 
Signify recently launched IoT sensors with environmental monitoring capabilities, including monitoring temperature, air quality, noise levels, daylight levels and relative humidity.
 
Interact indoor navigation enables a mobile application to access the real-time and accurate indoor geo-location of a mobile device via lighting. The software can use several technologies such as visible light communication (VLC) and Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) in the luminaires and phone sensors to determine the location and direction of travel of the device with 30cm accuracy.
 
By integrating the indoor navigation kiosk or the Interact Office Workspace app with meeting room booking systems or employee directory management, employees can easily book a meeting room, find a free desk or locate a colleague. Facility managers can use the anonymised data on employee movement flows and behaviour to optimise and improve their employee services and building operations.