In an era where outdoor navigation has been perfected by platforms like Google Maps, a significant gap remains in digital mapping infrastructure: the vast network of indoor spaces that define our daily lives. Mappedin is addressing this challenge head-on, developing innovative solutions that are fundamentally transforming how we understand, map, and navigate indoor environments. The company’s technological capabilities, expertise, and first response partnerships are foundational to providing the necessary mapping ease, scale, and portability. This extends solutions to life-saving safety use cases.
Recently recognized by BetaKit through a rigorous selection process conducted by a panel of media, industry, and technology experts, Mappedin has been featured in the publication's "Most Ambitious" special edition—a distinction that highlights the company’s potential to challenge established market dynamics and drive meaningful innovation in the Canadian technology landscape.
The Problem: Navigating in the dark
When Mappedin CEO & Founder, Hongwei Liu, spoke with a group of firefighters in Fredericton, New Brunswick, he posed a simple question: “Do emergency responders have access to maps when entering burning buildings?” The response was both revealing and concerning—the firefighters gestured toward their truck, where they kept an unwieldy binder of municipal blueprints that proved impractical during emergency situations. As paper floor plans are often incomplete, outdated, or inaccurate, keeping them up to date is a major challenge. "They're running in blind every time," Liu observed, highlighting a critical safety gap that extends far beyond emergency response scenarios.
The Solution: AI-powered indoor mapping
Mappedin has positioned itself to fill this void in the digital mapping landscape. While the likes of Apple Maps and Google Maps have effectively dominated mapping the outdoors, Mappedin is charting new territory within the confines of four walls–mapping venues of all sizes. The core technology transforms traditional floor plans into dynamic, three-dimensional interactive maps with the help of AI mapping, easy-to-use tools, and scalable deployment.
The platform's capabilities extend beyond digitization. With Mappedin, anyone can create customized maps that can be edited, labeled, and shared according to specific needs. This democratization of mapping technology represents a significant advancement in how individuals and organizations can capture, map, and navigate complex interior spaces.
Public Safety: A vital application
While Mappedin serves numerous commercial sectors, one of its most compelling value propositions lies in public safety applications. The "Maps for Good" initiative provides free access to its platform for firefighters, police officers, and emergency services teams. This strategic approach to market adoption has already yielded results, with the US Department of Homeland Security describing the platform as "the most important tool of the past 50 years."
Looking Forward: The future of indoor mapping
Mappedin's success reflects a broader trend toward digitizing and optimizing indoor environments. As smart building technologies continue to evolve and IoT, robotics, and augmented reality become more prevalent, the demand for sophisticated indoor mapping solutions will grow exponentially.
Mappedin's journey from addressing a simple question about indoor maps and safety to becoming a global leader in indoor mapping technology illustrates the need to tackle complex, real-world challenges. Mappedin’s recognition in BetaKit's "Most Ambitious" special edition reflects its position as a category creator and leader—precisely the type of disruptive force that drives innovation.
See Mappedin in the BetaKit Most Ambitious edition at betakit.com/most-ambitious-2025.
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