TimeSeries Group Wins Mendix World 2016 Hackathon for Best IoT-enabled Smart App

Developers Use New Mendix 7 and KPN LoRa Network to Build Innovative Workplace Optimization Solution for ISS in Just 24 Hours

BOSTON, MA – July 14, 2016 – Mendix, the leading cloud platform for rapid application development and delivery, today announced that developers from TimeSeries, a developer of software solutions for big data, took home the top prize at the Mendix World 2016 Hackathon. The hackathon challenged 15 teams to build working Internet of Things (IoT) Smart Apps in a 24-hour battle of wits.

Sponsored by Amazon Web Services (AWS) and KPN, the hackathon featured use cases from ISS Facility Services, a leading global provider of integrated facility services, and Enexis, the energy network operator in the north, east and south of the Netherlands. Teams built Smart Apps using the Mendix platform in combination with sensor data from the KPN LoRa Network and one-click deployment on AWS. Developers had special access to Mendix 7, which includes drag-and-drop connectors to IoT, big data and machine learning services; a Connector Kit with native REST support, JSON and XML mappings and enhanced Java actions; the new Mendix Web Modeler; and much more.

The TimeSeries team, comprised of Paul Ketelaars, Alex van Son and Willem van Zantvoort, developed a Smart App to help ISS customers and their employees optimize their workspaces. Drawing on inspiration from the Edge, a building in Amsterdam that’s been called the greenest and most intelligent in the world, the application monitors various office conditions, such as temperature, noise levels, nearby services and more. Using this sensor data, employees can find their ideal workspace, locate colleagues and book conference rooms based on certain criteria. The app also includes a separate interface for ISS employees to proactively manage these facilities and evolve their services from push driven to demand driven. Using sensor data, the app decides which rooms need to be cleaned, based on their usage, and which plants need water based on the temperature, daylight and humidity.

“The drag-and-drop connectors in Mendix 7 made it really easy to integrate IoT data into the application. Within seconds, the data started to populate into the app,” Ketelaars said. “With Mendix, we didn’t have to worry about the underlying technology. We could focus on rapidly developing an idea that would add value to ISS and its customers.”

First Consulting Takes Second Place

The hackathon runner-up team came from First Consulting. The team built two Smart Apps in 24 hours to help energy network operator Enexis manage customers and data during power outages, and develop a greater understanding of the actual scope of outages. One app enables customers to report outages and collects additional information from other customers through an integration with Facebook. The second app automatically selects a mechanic who is nearby and allows them to push real-time updates to customers to keep them informed.

“This year’s hackathon really embodied what the future of business applications looks like,” said Derek Roos, CEO and co-founder of Mendix. “As the world becomes even more connected and the amount of data explodes, Smart Apps will be the way of the future. Developers, like those at TimeSeries and First Consulting, prove just how easy it can be to harness IoT and big data to deliver new experiences for employees, customers and partners.”

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