The value of the test was not simply to prove that the technology worked, but to give the company a fast, low-risk way to answer a critical business question before investing further. If smartphone-based scanning could do the job, indoor mapping could become faster and more affordable. If not, the team needed clear evidence early.

To answer that question, the team needed more than a controlled test space. They needed a busy public building with long corridors, multiple levels, and normal daily activity, because that is the kind of environment the technology would face in actual use. Through The City of Calgary’s Living Labs program, they tested at Village Square Leisure Centre, an operating public facility that provided the scale, complexity and real-world conditions the test required.

The test itself was designed to be low risk and minimally disruptive. Using iPhones and TDK’s indoor-mapping tools, the team scanned fixed building features, such as walls, doorways, hallways, and Wi-Fi access points. No cameras were used to record people, no personal information was collected, and the facility continued operating as usual. City staff support was only needed to provide access to restricted areas.

The pilot produced a clear answer. Smartphone-based scanning was accurate at short range, but it was not yet efficient for mapping a building the size and complexity of Village Square Leisure Centre. That early evidence made the test successful. Through Living Labs, TDK was able to validate an important assumption in a real-world setting, reduce technical uncertainty, make a go-or-no-go decision before further investment, and give the team a clearer basis for future research and development. Rather than learning this later through a larger or costlier effort, the company was able to test the assumption early in the right setting.

Living Labs creates value by giving innovators a practical, low-risk way to test assumptions in real operating environments and get decision-quality evidence earlier. For Calgary, the value goes beyond a single pilot. This project showed that City infrastructure can support responsible, low-disruption testing in active public facilities, giving innovators a way to validate ideas in real conditions before scaling them. That helps strengthen Calgary’s innovation ecosystem and positions the city as a place where high-value technology can be developed and tested with confidence.

To learn more, or to apply for testing through The City of Calgary’s Living Labs program, contact LivingLabs@calgary.ca.