Solving outdoor navigation is only half the problem in a modern city. As cities grow denser and more vertical, the most complex journeys no longer end at the curb. They continue inside buildings—into towers, malls, offices, hospitals, and mixed-use complexes that function as cities within cities.
MAKANI's most consequential evolution was its extension beyond entrances and into interior spaces. This shift transformed the system from an addressing solution into a comprehensive spatial framework.
The Limits of Outdoor Precision
Entrance-level addressing eliminated ambiguity at the point of arrival. Vehicles could be guided to the correct access point. Emergency responders could reach the right door. Deliveries could stop where they were intended.
Yet once inside large buildings, navigation often reverted to informal guidance. Finding an apartment in a residential tower, a shop in a mall, or an office in a commercial complex still depended on directories, signage, or human assistance. In many cases, these systems were inconsistent, outdated, or difficult to interpret for visitors.
The result was a familiar pattern: precise arrival followed by imprecise movement.
To fully resolve the navigation problem, the system needed to extend its logic indoors.
Introducing Six-Digit Unit Codes
The response was the introduction of a six-character alphanumeric unit code designed to uniquely identify internal destinations within buildings. Each unit—whether an apartment, office, or retail space—was assigned a code that linked it unambiguously to its location within the building.
When combined with the entrance-level MAKANI number, this code enabled end-to-end navigation from city scale down to individual units.
This pairing created a complete address in functional terms:
- The MAKANI number identifies the correct entrance
- The unit code identifies the exact destination inside
The system does not rely on descriptive labels or floor-based directions. It relies on structured identifiers that can be interpreted consistently by systems and users alike.
Malls as Navigation Stress Tests
Large malls represent one of the most challenging indoor environments for navigation. They are expansive, multi-level, and frequently reconfigured. Shops change names. Layouts evolve. Temporary installations alter pathways. Visitors often enter from different access points depending on parking, public transport, or adjacent developments.
Traditional mall directories are static snapshots in a dynamic environment. By applying unit-level addressing, MAKANI provides a way to reference internal destinations without relying on changing labels or layouts. A shop can change its name without changing its code. A space can be reconfigured while preserving its spatial identity.
Navigation becomes resilient to change.
Vertical Living and Working
Residential and commercial towers introduce a different kind of complexity. A single tower may contain hundreds of units, multiple elevator banks, shared amenities, and restricted access areas. For visitors, service providers, and emergency responders, reaching the correct unit quickly and reliably is critical.
Unit codes eliminate guesswork. Rather than interpreting floor numbers, apartment names, or office labels, systems can reference a precise internal location. This is particularly valuable in time-sensitive scenarios, where clarity matters more than familiarity.
Indoor Addressing as a Structural Shift
What makes indoor addressing transformative is not the format of the code, but the conceptual shift it represents. Traditional addressing systems treat buildings as atomic units. Everything inside is left to informal systems. MAKANI rejects this boundary.
By extending addressing logic indoors, the system treats interior spaces as first-class entities within the urban fabric. Apartments, offices, and shops are no longer hidden behind a single building identity. They are individually addressable.
This shift unlocks new capabilities:
- Services can be routed to specific units
- Assets can be mapped at room level
- Usage patterns can be analyzed with spatial context
- Emergency response can be planned with interior layouts in mind
The building is no longer a black box.
Completing the Journey
With entrance-level precision and unit-level addressing, MAKANI enables complete journeys—from city to curb, from entrance to interior. Navigation becomes deterministic rather than interpretive. Systems no longer approximate destinations. They identify them.
This completeness is rare. It is also essential.