SmartPoint
An Address for Everything

Micro-locations exist in all kinds, behind every door on every floor of a property or building. With innumerable micro-locations in conference rooms, offices, hallways, kiosks, and others, capturing, referencing, sharing, and navigating to those micro-locations in and around any building or property has been a tough nut to crack. Currently, there is no easy way for real estate owners or operators to capture, manage and use this micro-location information, nor is there any real-time clearinghouse for them to selectively share micro-location information with third party service providers.

Until SmartPoint came into the picture.

In the relatively new market of indoor positioning, SmartPoint is the first micro GIS company that focuses on sub-street address level, micro-locations. SmartPoint offers a single universal platform where real estate owners can capture, manage, use and selectively share micro-location information through single platform and clearinghouse that serves the needs of real estate owners, services, and users that need access to the information. SmartPoint’s solutions are highly beneficial to existing legacy services like Uber, Lyft, DoorDash, or even FedEx, UPS, or Amazon, allowing them to access precise, real-time micro-location information through a single system. However, SmartPoint will be mission-critical to these services as they automate their services.

In a conversation with CIO Applications, Lee Hancock, CEO and co-founder, and Stephen Hancock, President and co-founder of SmartPoint share insights on SmartPoint’s unique technology and collaborative approach to providing real estate owners a total micro-location addressing, information, and micro-navigation solution.

Could you provide an overview of what spurred the founding of SmartPoint?

Lee: The prelude to SmartPoint’s story was the technology we developed for the mobile, local space when I launched a company called go2, the first and dominant mobile, local search, information and navigation service in the early days of mobile web. We were the dominant technology and service on all of the major U.S. wireless carriers, and when we sold go2 we kept control of the IP and technology. That experience and technology led to SmartPoint. SmartPoint is primarily a technology company, but we focus on enabling outstanding user navigation and delivery experiences.

Could you elaborate on your patented technology and its applications?

Lee: The SmartPoint system is designed to support any micro-location service, be it parking, rideshare, IoT, drone deliveries, asset management, wayfinding, emergency services, etc. With near-perfect directions to/ from exact drop-off or pick-up locations, available parking spaces, delivery locations, etc. Additionally, it drives environmental benefits from reduced mileage and less congestion. Equipped with business intelligence, SmartPoint also captures real-time information to help real estate owners and others gain valuable actionable insights on vehicle and pedestrian traffic flow to/from and around their locations.

Stephen: The RideStop system uses the SmartPoint technology platform to enable real estate owners and rideshare services to provide enhanced rideshare experiences for their tenants, visitors, and customers.

How does RideStop play as a differentiator for SmartPoint?

Stephen: The lead differentiator for RideStop is that it identifies the exact pick-up and drop-off locations with a unique name and number to eliminate any confusion. All RideStop locations are available to all rideshare services and have familiar, highly visible signs, and digital map markers showing riders and drivers the exact location.

What are the features and functionalities of SmartPoint’s platform, and how does it benefit clients?

Lee: SmartPoint leverages our unique micro-GIS SmartAddress®, MicroMap®, and AddressPlus® technologies to use existing databases and/or capture and define new micro-locations in or near a building or property. Every captured location or area gets a human and AI friendly SmartAddress® name/ID. Users can also identify and share any location in or near the building or property (e.g. a hole in the carpet or a new pothole in the parking lot in need of repair) with a very short 2-6 digit AddressPlus® number. Every captured area or location automatically gets a unique ID, and a dedicated mobile and online web page with several compelling features like a SmartPoint short URL link and QR code for easy sharing and access. Authorized developers can also access real-time information about those locations via a series of APIs.

Could you share a case study that showcases SmartPoint’s value proposition?

Stephen: One of our early SmartPoint implementations is the RideStop system that we recently implemented with Lyft at Irvine Company’s new 8-building Santa Clara Square office complex in Silicon Valley. This marquee developer wanted to provide a best-in-class rideshare experience for their tenants and visitors with dedicated and highly visible RideStop locations optimally located throughout the project and integrated into the Lyft App. The owner used RideStop to save users time and increase safety by improving vehicle and traffic flow throughout their workplace communities. The companies are already talking about expanding the program throughout Irvine Company’s California coastal collection of workplace communities in Silicon Valley and Orange, San Diego and Los Angeles counties.

How do the SmartPoint team’s years of experience and expertise translate into the success that you have in the field?

Lee: The team includes world-class and extremely well-recognized GIS and AI technology advisors, and the technology is a result of years of experience in mobile, local search and navigation. The objective is to provide a much more efficient, universal, and utilitarian system that will fuel the next generation of traditional and automated services by enabling them to deliver substantially better, more precise, and real-time micro-location information across all devices and services.

What is the next big step for SmartPoint?

Lee: Our current strategy is to focus on the successful implementation of RideStop to make it the best and most recognized global system to make all rideshare easier and better. Concurrently, we also are working on the core platform and technology for other vertical applications like deliveries, parking, facilities management, internal wayfinding, IoT, emergency services and many more.