Navv-Systems began with a prototype called NovaTrack, which laid the groundwork for what would eventually become NavvTrack. NovaTrack was initially developed as a service project implemented at Henry Ford Health, designed to help locate patient transporters and environmental services crew members in large hospital complexes. Staff could log in to the system to display their real-time location on a map, manage devices, and ensure battery and network requirements were met.
Building on the NovaTrack framework, Navv-Systems took on a new service project focused on specimen pickup and delivery to the lab. A large hospital system in Boston uses this framework today, with impressive results—nearly zero lost specimens over the past year. (Yes, one out of thousands went missing, which isn’t bad considering the averages.)
With growing momentum, the team began experimenting with Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) technology to locate hospital equipment. However, the limitations of BLE’s signal stability led to challenges such as floor hopping and signal inaccuracy, which did not meet the high expectations of our customers. While these experiments presented obstacles, they also provided valuable insights into optimizing equipment tracking for hospitals, fueling future R&D efforts.
The lessons from these projects enabled Navv-Systems to develop NavvTrack, a robust SaaS platform launched earlier this year. Built around Fleet Management, NavvTrack allows departments to securely monitor and track thousands of iOS devices, ensuring these critical devices are always connected and managed. The SaaS model also lets us rapidly deploy new features and updates, ensuring all customers benefit from improvements.
Navv-Systems is evolving its framework used in Boston to generalize support for various workflows across indoor spaces, turning NavvTrack into a tool that facilitates seamless team collaboration and task management. This Workflow Module, in development for future release, will empower teams to be in the right place at the right time.
In parallel to productizing the Workflow Module for a future release, we continue R&D efforts to improve the real-time locating of equipment by leveraging a mesh network of iOS devices. We have promising work in this space, working alongside some medical equipment providers as well. This type of “FindMy” for the enterprise will allow organizations to fully realize a return on investment in iOS devices as they are more than small computers, they’re a symphony of censors.
