It’s estimated the volume of data in the world would reach 59 zettabytes this year. In short, that’s a lot. One contributor? Smart locker data. But this is data that can provide insights and help contract tracing too.
Not sure how much is 59 zettabytes? Think of it this way. You’d have to take a personal computer’s large 1TB hard drive and fill it. Fill it every day. For about 161 million years to get to that volume of data.
Actually, IDG, which predicted the 59 zettabytes, expects the number to double to 118 zettabytes by 2023. No doubt, some of that data will come from networked lockers connected to broader smart building systems.
What Smart Locker Data is Available?
With a smart locker system administrators can manage and control all aspects of the locker, in real-time. It’s easy to see if lockers are available or occupied. Plus, configuring smart building lockers as assigned or unassigned, or making them available for particular services, is a simple matter of point and click.
This locker software provides a dashboard view of locker usage down to the specific locker or user as well as status updates such as:
- Open
- Locked
- Jammed
- Alarm
- Open
These networked lockers can be analyzed using many different filters. You can see who is using what lockers, what lockers are in use currently, and even how long they will be occupied.
Or perhaps you want to examine usage by time of day or type of user. You can drill down to audit past history for an individual locker’s usage or for an individual user’s activity too.
With visibility into specific banks of lockers or each individual locker, you can better schedule service or cleaning. Plus, easily customize your smart locker system to meet your unique needs — on a given day or down to the hour.
This data analysis allows users to start small and expand based on demand. With the ability to quickly and easily add locker banks and adjust user access based on demand, users make adjustments based on usage analysis helping avoid overspending and guesswork. We’ll talk more about the advantages of this technology next.
Smart Locker System Advantages
These electronic lockers help you know how often your lockers are being used and by whom (if desired) can drive decisions about how you implement a hybrid workforce model. This could help identify that Tuesday and Thursday afternoons are busier. Thus, you might want to implement policies to manage occupant density.
As Lee Daniels, global product manager for workplace & occupancy strategy and EMEA experience lead at JLL, put it, ““Understanding who is in what space, for how long, and at what time, will be key to creating strategies to manage the flow of people and ensuring office spaces are used correctly.”
Also knowing what areas are utilized most can support better allocation of space. If lockers by the university gym are always fully occupied and yet there’s a bank by the library that’s underutilized, it might be worth moving one set of lockers to the higher-traffic area.
Smart lockers also add convenience for building users. Employees, residents, or guests can all benefit from being able to quickly scan a mobile device or ID badge to access a touch-less locker. With a workplace locker app, people can reserve lockers in a specific location, of a specific size, or for a particular time or duration on their personal devices. That’s without any building administration involvement!
Networked lockers are also easier to keep clean and disinfected. An entire bank of lockers can be opened at one time via the smart locker dashboard. This can expedite scheduled cleanings. Or it can come in handy in an emergency situation.
With the ability to easily configure locker access, it’s also easier to support social distancing. If there is an outbreak of illness, you can quickly prevent people from using a block of lockers until they are disinfected. If a particular individual is sick, the smart locker data could trace who else might have been in contact with the individual at the lockers.
We’ll remind you, though, that these lockers can be configured to pop open when a user enters a PIN into a smart app or scans a badge, key card or fob. That helps users avoid handling locks or touching communal keypads. Plus, these smart lockers can be manufactured with solid, non-porous surfaces, to aid cleanliness. Using antimicrobial finishes can go a long way to reducing the spread of germs as well.
Empowering Agility with Smart Lockers
Ongoing analysis of smart building and smart locker data can help a business adapt its strategy and design planning more effectively. The flexibility will support the agility needed also to react quickly to keep people safe and secure in the new normal.
Patterson Pope has customized smart locker solutions for a variety of industries. Whether you're looking at a campus, industrial, healthcare, museum or business environment, we can help you design the best locker layout for your objectives. Contact us today!
