The Henry Ford Museum ArcGIS Indoors Pilot Project and Workflow Analysis
About The Henry Ford
The Henry Ford Museum (THF) is a globally recognized cultural institution dedicated to showcasing stories of ingenuity, resourcefulness, and innovation that have shaped America. With over 1.7 million visitors annually, THF’s venues include the Henry Ford Museum of American Innovation, Greenfield Village, the Ford Rouge Factory Tour, the Giant Screen Theater, and the Benson Ford Research Center.
True to its name, THF continues to innovate, constantly improving museum operations, exhibits, and visitor experiences. In pursuit of geospatial excellence, THF is implementing a comprehensive geospatial strategy to develop a fully integrated campus map—an essential step toward becoming a smart campus as part of its 100-year anniversary building intelligence goals. While adopting various software and solutions, THF recognizes that an accurate and modern GIS deployment of its campus and buildings is critical. This map will serve as the backbone and centralized data repository for its initiatives. To achieve this, THF partnered with Blue Raster to conduct a drone survey of the entire campus, producing high-quality, georeferenced orthomosaics. These drone-generated datasets enabled the creation of high-resolution, vector-based basemaps, which support staff in facility management, planning, and operations, while also enhancing the visitor experience.
ArcGIS Indoors
Building on the successful exterior mapping, THF aimed to deploy a comprehensive indoor mapping system. ArcGIS Indoors is a complete indoor mapping software that provides foundational building data management capabilities, and focused apps to gain insights, improve operations, maintenance, and safety of indoor spaces. Partnering with Map I.T. for an ArcGIS Indoors pilot project deployment, THF sought to:
- Assess ArcGIS Indoors for facility management, emergency response, space planning, indoor wayfinding, and digital twin applications for virtual tours.
- Analyze workflow efficiency by testing various input data types and deliverables for indoor mapping.
To accomplish this, THF selected three distinct facilities with varying data availability and mapping objectives.
1. Lovett Hall
Lovett Hall is a glamourous, state-of-the-art event space on the THF campus. For facility documentation, THF had CAD drawings for some levels and only PDF plans available for others. The objective was to evaluate the integration of these formats into ArcGIS Indoors, focusing on facility management and indoor routing/wayfinding as use-cases for this site.
2. The Henry Ford Academy
The Henry Ford Academy (HFA), is a charter school on THF’s campus focused on “learning by doing,” innovation (just like the THF as a whole), and real-world experiences. THF had previously used Matterport technology to generate 360° panoramic images and a point cloud for the site. The goal was to assess Matterport’s effectiveness as a cost-efficient data collection tool and to develop an LOD 200 BIM model for facility management and 3D visualization within ArcGIS Indoors. The 3D environment in ArcGIS Indoors enhances the user experience by offering a more realistic visualization of the space, incorporating not only the BIM model but also 360° panoramic images and point clouds.
3. The Jackson Home
The Jackson Home was an extremely important site for this project, not because of the technology involved, but because of its rich and impactful history. The Jackson Home served as a key site during the Selma to Montgomery marches, a pivotal movement for civil rights in the U.S. Owned by Dr. Sullivan Jackson and Mrs. Richie Jean Sherrod, it became a refuge and planning space for Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and other civil rights leaders as they strategized the fight for African American rights. In 2023, THF relocated the Jackson Home to Greenfield Village to enhance public access to its historical significance. LiDAR scanning technology at historical sites is crucial for preserving their structural details, creating accurate digital twins, and aiding in restoration efforts. It ensures that future generations can study and appreciate these cultural treasures. For these reasons, THF conducted a mid-level Leica LiDAR scan of the home, producing a point cloud. The objective was to create an LOD 350 BIM model and evaluate its integration within ArcGIS Indoors and ArcGIS StoryMaps for virtual tours and historic preservation.
Conclusion and Benefits
THF is still in the evaluation phase of the ArcGIS Indoors pilot project and workflow analysis. However, it is evident that the ArcGIS Indoors solution is a highly valuable tool in advancing their building intelligence goals and fostering a smart campus environment. The platform successfully supports key objectives, including improved facility management, space planning, wayfinding, emergency response, and visitor experience enhancement. Its scalability and ease of deployment make it suitable for both internal THF staff use and visitor access. Furthermore, its capability to integrate diverse data sets for various ArcGIS Indoors applications enhance efficiency and cost-effectiveness.
Next Steps
Although the project is still in the evaluation phase, the results already clearly demonstrate the viability of ArcGIS Indoors and its potential for smart campus applications. The next phase of the project involves:
- Expanding indoor mapping to all campus buildings.
- Integrating 360° panoramic imagery for viewing in the ArcGIS Indoors Viewer.
- Third-party system integration (e.g., security cameras, work order management, space planning, and other IoT applications and real-time tracking).
- Enhancing facility existing condition documentation through high-accuracy LiDAR scanning and digital artifact archiving.
Learn More
For more information about Map I.T. and their work with ArcGIS Indoors and smart campus operations, visit www.map-it-llc.com or contact Zach Jaffe at zjaffe@map-it-llc.com.
For more information about The Henry Ford Museum, visit: https://www.thehenryford.org/
For details on Blue Raster’s basemap production, visit: https://www.blueraster.com/ or contact Phil Satlof at psatlof@blueraster.com
About Map I.T.
Map I.T. is a land surveying, GIS, and geospatial consulting firm that leverages cutting-edge solutions to solve organizational challenges, improve decision-making, and boost operational efficiency. With extensive industry experience, we understand every phase of a project’s life cycle, from initial data collection to final deliverables, while providing ongoing support. As an Esri Business Partner and ArcGIS Indoors Specialty Partner, we specialize in GIS solutions for campus operations in K-12 schools, higher education, museums, and campuses.
Zach Jaffe, PLS (SC), founder and CEO of Map I.T., brings over a decade of expertise in land surveying, GIS, and geospatial consulting. He is proficient in a wide range of data collection techniques and is dedicated to delivering impactful solutions to clients. A pioneer in integrating BIM and GIS, Zach is recognized as a thought leader in digital twin technologies, receiving the Esri AEC Hero Award in 2022 for his innovative work in the facility mapping space.