Category: DTLab_Coop

UCON simplifies the administration process for the educational event the Digital Impact Day

CIL projects, DTLab_Coop

Get ready for an electrifying experience at The Digital Impact Day (DID) where students from Mid Sweden University, Munich University of Applied Science, and Tampere University of Applied Science work in interdisciplinary teams to develop impactful solutions for the future. With the support of the Co-Innovation Lab, the universities are accelerating their cooperation to new heights through the digital platform UCON. The UCON team, consisting of ten students from Finland and Germany who are experts in computer science and business administration accomplished a great result during the past semester so that the process at the upcoming DID in April becomes simple and seamless for the participating students.

UCON prototype with profile in upper right corner

Innovate, develop concepts, and bring ideas to implementation

With the Digital Impact Day, the three universities want to give students the opportunity to build valuable experience, train their mindset and at the same time create innovative solutions. To further enhance the experience, Sweden, Germany, and Finland partnered up to give students the opportunity to work in international teams. The goal is that the Digital Impact Day becomes a well-recognized and established event at all three institutions and provides students with the opportunity to join multiple times. The UCON team wants to accelerate this goal by developing a central management platform that eases access to the event for students from all three universities.

The team at the final presentation (from left to right and top to bottom): Lea Cowlrick (UCON team), Anna Saam (UCON team), Hans-Jürgen Haak (lecturer), Anne-Mari Sainio (lecturer), Antti Perttula (project leader), Lars Brehm (lecturer), Paula Sutor (UCON team), David Schraudy (UCON team), Alicia Zierahn (UCON team), Karolina Rosdahl (project leader), Sten Wigert (project leader), Holger Günzel (lecturer), Jere Käpyaho (lecturer)

Removing barriers during the customer journey

Currently, students have limited knowledge about the event because the information is difficult to access. Additionally, the process of registering and receiving certificates after the event is completed through individual email correspondence, putting additional strain on the organizers. With the digital platform UCON, students can easily find the necessary information, and the process is streamlined for a better experience.

UCON landing page to access information

UCON leverages the power of automation

The profile is designed as a central point where students can manage all steps before, during, and after the event. The database created in the backend streamlines the work for the organizers so that they can focus on the actual happenings on the day of the event. Through the automatic group assignment, students get to work in an optimal team and enjoy a fun day. After the event they can easily download their UCON certificate and when the next event is just around, simply re-register to be part of the next DID. 

The organizers look forward to the implementation

The project leaders Karolina Rosdahl and Sten Wigert were excited about the solution at the final presentation. “This new system, UCON, will be a great benefit for Digital Impact Days events.”, said Karolina Rosdahl. Her colleague Sten Wigert is excited about trying the prototype at the next DID: “Now all the data is neatly organized turning it into a valuable management tool providing relevant information in a time-critical situation. Facilitating the DID has become considerably easier for management which in turn lifts the experience of participating students.”

About the Digital Innovation Lab and the Co-Innovation Lab

This solution was designed in a joint project between the Digital Transformation Lab and the Co-Innovation Lab of Hochschule München in cooperation with Tampere University of Applied Sciences guided by the lecturers Prof. Dr. Holger Günzel, Prof. Dr. Lars Brehm, Hans-Jürgen Haak, and Anne-Mari Sainio. The Co-Innovation Lab offers students a virtual platform for learning how to work as a consulting team by creating temporary partnerships between companies, students, and lecturers.

For more information about UCON, the Digital Transformation Lab or the Co-Innovation Lab, contact holger.guenzel@hm.edu or lars.brehm@hm.edu.

This Co-Innovation Lab project was carried out in cooperation with the Digital Transformation Lab (DTLab) at Munich University of Applied Sciences:

“The Digital Transformation Lab (DTLab) at Munich University of Applied Sciences is dedicated to the major social challenges of our time. Together with stakeholders in the private sector, students develop future-oriented solutions. They are supported by Amazon Web Services with state-of-the-art cloud technologies and the Working Backwards innovation methodology. We live digital transformation.”

More information about the Co-Innovation Lab and the Digital Transformation Lab (DTLab) at Munich University of Applied Sciences:

Autoren: Team DID

Meet green? How GreenMeet helps to make business meetings more sustainable

CIL projects, DTLab_Coop

Students from Tampere University of Applied Sciences and Munich University of Applied Sciences joined forces with Salesforce in the winter semester of 2023 to develop a solution which contributes to reducing CO2 emissions: GreenMeet.

Screenshot GreenMeet entry page

The digital assistant helps sales representatives to decide whether a meeting should be held virtually or in person and shows the user the emissions of a potential round trip. Based on the importance and sales stage of a potential customer as well as calculated CO2 emissions, a recommendation is given for the best-fitting meeting type.

The problem of conscious meeting decisions

Meetings were often held in person in the past but since the pandemic, they are increasingly conducted online, although personal contact is of great importance, especially in sales. But the world has to change. Companies, societies, and individuals are demanding more environmentally friendly actions instead of travelling around the world for a short business meeting.

Additionally, there are advanced possibilities for more personalized and interactive meetings online, enabled by virtual reality (VR). Hence, sales representatives face the issue of multiple meeting-type options when talking to their customers. Choosing the appropriate one is a challenge – the solution is GreenMeet.

GreenMeet considers all relevant meeting and transport types

In cooperation with the Co-Innovation Lab of Munich University of Applied Sciences, TAMK and Salesforce, the student team developed a digital assistant that calculates CO2 emissions and gives individual recommendations on the appropriate meeting format. For in-person meetings, GreenMeet calculates the CO2 emissions of a trip by plane, train, and car, both electric and gas-powered. For online meetings, the carbon emissions of VR and video meetings are considered. All values are based on trustworthy data provided by the German environmental agency and other scientific sources.                                                                                                                                 

Project team (from top left: Charlotte Sixt, Bastian Forster, Verlinda Ibraimi, Benjamin Schiff, Mona Seith, Joni Foss, Inka Lagerboom, Visa Keskinen, Lotta Viljamaa)  

GreenMeet provides the highest transparency and a meeting-type recommendation engine

Once all information is entered, a bar chart with the CO2 emissions values of each meeting type is shown. Based on this overview and the individual customer importance and sales stage, GreenMeet provides a recommendation for the meeting type. Besides that, it is also shown how much CO2 could be saved by choosing the most environmentally friendly method.

GreenMeet contributes to building a sustainable future together

“In the short project time, a solution with real added value has been created that can be used directly,” says Hans Paulini, Principal Solution Engineer at Salesforce. “By integrating GreenMeet into Salesforce’s travel approval process in the future, employees can be actively supported in making more conscious meeting decisions. And most importantly, they are contributing to the world’s journey to net zero. Many thanks to the student team for the great collaboration!”

Please, test it here: Greenmeet (green-meet-hm-muc.herokuapp.com)

About the Digital Innovation Lab and the Co-Innovation Lab

This solution was designed in a joint project between the Digital Transformation Lab and the Co-Innovation Lab of Hochschule München in cooperation with Tampere University of Applied Sciences guided by the lecturers Prof. Dr. Holger Günzel, Prof. Dr. Lars Brehm, Hans-Jürgen Haak, and Anne-Mari Sainio. The Co-Innovation Lab offers students a virtual platform for learning how to work as a consulting team by creating temporary partnerships between companies, students, and lecturers.

For more information about the MeetGreen, the Digital Transformation Lab or the Co-Innovation Lab, contact holger.guenzel@hm.edu or lars.brehm@hm.edu.

This Co-Innovation Lab project was carried out in cooperation with the Digital Transformation Lab (DTLab) at Munich University of Applied Sciences:

“The Digital Transformation Lab (DTLab) at Munich University of Applied Sciences is dedicated to the major social challenges of our time. Together with stakeholders in the private sector, students develop future-oriented solutions. They are supported by Amazon Web Services with state-of-the-art cloud technologies and the Working Backwards innovation methodology. We live digital transformation.”

More information about the Co-Innovation Lab and the Digital Transformation Lab (DTLab) at Munich University of Applied Sciences:

Autoren: Team MeetGreen

Step-by-step to your perfect event with the Catering Studio Event Planner

CIL projects, DTLab_Coop

Together with the TAMK Catering Studio, the Digital Transformation Lab and the Co-Innovation Lab, a student team from Hochschule München and Tampere University of Applied Sciences designed a recommendation engine for the TAMK Catering Studio. The solution simplifies the process of organizing an event in Tampere University’s catering studio by guiding customers through all important steps of the catering planning process. In the end, the engine recommends suitable and sustainable catering options based on the customer’s preferences.

TAMK Catering Studio Event Planner: Catering recommendations example

Create memorable events at TAMK

The Catering Studio Event Planner helps customers to easily find the best catering services available to them by making recommendations tailored to their wants and needs – so everyone can experience a memorable event at TAMK Catering Studio. This way, there is no need for the customer to mail or call the catering studio anymore when planning an event at TAMK, saving precious time and effort. A simple step-by-step guide requests the most important information about the event, for example the number of guests, preferred date, and budget. In the end, the customer gets three personal catering recommendations – with the most sustainable one highlighted. Plan your event – and do good at the same time!

Happy customer, happy staff

The perfect event for your needs: That’s what the TAMK Catering Studio wants to offer to every single one of their customers. However, consulting every customer individually takes the catering studio staff quite some time – time that could be more effectively used for the event preparation itself. By offering the standardized step-by-step guide, the most important information about the event is clear from the beginning, so that the Catering Studio’s staff can then focus on the details that make the event unforgettable. The staff at TAMK Catering Studio is convinced: “The step-by-step recommendation engine really streamlines the booking process. It has been joyful and rewarding to follow along the team’s competence and their persevering effort for the given assignment. We are truly happy for this product that has been designed to correspond our exact needs. Vielen Dank!”, client Reetta Tuomikoski says about the student team’s innovation.

The interdisciplinary team consisting of Business Administration students from Hochschule München (Arthur Reschke, Maria Gutierrez Escoffie, Nicolas Angel, Saskia Kuzlik, Timon Leuchtmann) and Informatics students from Tampere University of Applied Sciences (Aki Helin, Daniel Bardo, Hilla Härkönen, Hilla Kähkölä, Riku Vesanto) is proud to offer a solution that simplifies the life of both the clients and their customers at the same time.

The interdisciplinary team from TAMK and HM: Maria Lorena Gutierrez Escoffie, Saskia Kuzlik, Timon Leuchtmann, Hilla Kähkölä, Aki Helin, Nicolas Angel, Daniel Bardo, Arthur Reschke, Hilla Hörkönen (from top left to bottom right).

About the Digital Innovation Lab and the Co-Innovation Lab

This solution was designed in a joint project between the Digital Transformation Lab and the Co-Innovation Lab of Hochschule München in cooperation with Tampere University of Applied Sciences guided by the lecturers Prof. Dr. Holger Günzel, Prof. Dr. Lars Brehm, Hans-Jürgen Haak, and Anne-Mari Sainio. The Co-Innovation Lab offers students a virtual platform for learning how to work as a consulting team by creating temporary partnerships between companies, students, and lecturers.

For more information about the Catering Studio Event Planner, the Digital Transformation Lab or the Co-Innovation Lab, contact holger.guenzel@hm.edu or lars.brehm@hm.edu.

This Co-Innovation Lab project was carried out in cooperation with the Digital Transformation Lab (DTLab) at Munich University of Applied Sciences:

“The Digital Transformation Lab (DTLab) at Munich University of Applied Sciences is dedicated to the major social challenges of our time. Together with stakeholders in the private sector, students develop future-oriented solutions. They are supported by Amazon Web Services with state-of-the-art cloud technologies and the Working Backwards innovation methodology. We live digital transformation.”

More information about the Co-Innovation Lab and the Digital Transformation Lab (DTLab) at Munich University of Applied Sciences:

Autoren: Team Catering Studio

“WeAssist” – a digital companion that helps to find the right information at the trade fair “Gemeinsam stark!”

CIL projects, DTLab_Coop

Information overflow on the trade fair „Gemeinsam stark!“? Not with the Digital Companion „WeAssist“! It guides the visitor through the trade fair and helps them to find the information they need at the right place. The web-app was developed by students of HM in cooperation with the University of Tampere (Finland) for the organizer of the trade fair, Rössler Consult GmbH. It is one component to transform the trade fair to the digital age.

HM Project Team: Polina Protsenko (Developer), Pauline Böttcher (Developer), Farhad Muradi (Scrum Master), Jonas Moser (Product Owner), Muhammad Ahmed (Developer)

Background of the trade fair “Gemeinsam stark!”

The consulting firm Rössler Consult GmbH together with the local working group Altbayerisches Donaumoos e.V. organize the regional trade show “Gemeinsam stark!” every two years. Due to the advancing digitalization and the restrictions during the Corona pandemic, digitalization is now to be integrated into the trade fair concept. Klaus Rössler, CEO of Rössler Consult, emphasizes on the importance of the evolution of the fair: “We are still planning our trade and regional show, which has been in place for decades, as a face-to-face event, because personal contact is still very important, especially in rural areas, especially after the low-contact Corona period. Equally imperative, however, is the integration of digital elements in the process, communication, the communication of common cross-sectional goals and especially gamification, which enables fast, flexible and target group-specific action that increases the attractiveness across generations.” The digital web-app could be one component of the new concept.

The problem: Information overflow on the trade fair “Gemeinsam stark!”

Navigating trade fairs in general can be overwhelming, with lots of exhibitors and a packed schedule of events. At the fair “Gemeinsam stark!”, over 8.000 visitors have to find their way around the 1.500 square meter exhibition area with over 60 exhibitors. The problem that visitors are often facing is finding relevant information such as the exact location of each exhibitor, exhibitor’s offers, and an overview presenting this information in a concise and simple way. What was missing, is a guide who helps visitors find the right information at the right place.

The solution: “WeAssist”, the digital companion

The product vision was clear: The Digital Companion WeAssist should help visitors to find the right information at the right place – so they would never get lost. The developed prototype of the digital companion web-app offers a range of features that help visitors to get a structured overview of all areas of the fair. First, one receives detailed information about each exhibitor and even gives the possibility to st personal favorites. Furthermore, “WeAssist” includes a digital trade show map that provides users with a complete overview of the site and shows the exact location of exhibitors and food stands. The different food options are also shown and described in detail. In addition, visitors can find a schedule of events and lectures that will take place during the fair. For possible questions or problems, a FAQ page is available.

International Cooperationin an Agile Environment

An interdisciplinary student team of 9 students from HM and University of Tampere (Finland) worked together on the prototype. To determine the needs of visitors, the students used the “Working Backwards” method of AWS and furthermore conducted an online survey with trade fair visitors. Based on the results, the students developed the app in an agile way, using the Scrum framework. Maximilian Vogl, Project Manager and assistant to the CEO of Lokale Aktionsgruppe Altbayerisches Donaumoos e.V. cherished the approach:“The close cooperation between students, lecturers and our agency was profitable for all sides. Determined and with methodical competence, the interdisciplinary project team developed a functional prototype app for our trade show ‘Gemeinsam stark!’”.

Home Screen of the digital companion “WeAssist”

The professors from Munich University of Applied Science were Prof. Dr.-Ing. Holger Günzel and Prof. Dr. Lars Brehm. Hans Jürgen Haak was the coach concerning agile methods. Anne-Mari Sainio was the lecturer for the Finish students from Tampere University of Applied Sciences.

This Co-Innovation Lab project was carried out in cooperation with the Digital Transformation Lab (DTLab) at Munich University of Applied Sciences:

“The Digital Transformation Lab (DTLab) at Munich University of Applied Sciences is dedicated to the major social challenges of our time. Together with stakeholders in the private sector, students develop future-oriented solutions. They are supported by Amazon Web Services with state-of-the-art cloud technologies and the Working Backwards innovation methodology. We live digital transformation.”

More information about the Co-Innovation Lab and the Digital Transformation Lab (DTLab) at Munich University of Applied Sciences:

Autoren: Team Tradeshow

DocuWare’s CO2 Analyzer – A Simple Way of Increasing Awareness for Hidden CO2 Saving Opportunities by Going Paperless

CIL projects, DTLab_Coop

An easy-to-use CO2 calculation tool – the DocuWare CO2 Anaylzer – was developed by an international team of students to highlight CO2 saving potentials by moving towards digital business processes that supports the sales team of DocuWare, a cloud-based software-as-a-service company.

The Project Team (F.l.t.r.): Anna Minakova (Product Owner), Andreas Birnkammer (Scrum Master), Patrick Mann (Business Developer), Julian Osiander (Business Developer), Darina Kopacheva (Business Developer), Jenna Westerlund (IT Developer), Janika Kupila (IT Developer), Jyri Ruohoniemi (IT Developer), Aaro Kurki (IT Developer)

Saving CO2 Emissions as a Business Model
As firms must evaluate their business processes regarding caused CO2 emissions, DocuWare helps companies to achieve their sustainability goals of reducing carbon emissions. The software company offers smart solutions to digitize paper-intensive business processes to simplify complexity by process automation. DocuWare does not just want to use digitization for simplification but also as a step towards a more CO2-neutral office environment.

“With the CO2-Calculator, we want to provide our prospects and customers with a tool that calculates how much CO2 emissions they can specifically save by digitizing a business process. In other words, how much CO2 a digital process such as invoice processing emits in contrast to a paper-based process? So, in addition to saving paper and trees, you can also show this positive aspect of digitization.” Dr. Stefan Weinberger (DocuWare – Sr. Director Inside Sales)

Increasing Awareness of Saving Carbon Emissions
To date, the benefits of digitizing an office environment are abstract and concrete figures about potential CO2 savings are not given. Therefore, the DocuWare CO2-Anaylzer can inform the user, which will be the DocuWare sales team first and later on the client interested in using the DocuWare product, about the concrete sustainability benefits of going paperless is required. The user needs to know how much CO2 emissions they can reduce and how that benefits the environment by switching to a digital solution. Thereby, the application is easy to use while also quickly providing results with the use of a limited number of relevant parameters. It offers the user an estimation of how much CO2 they produce right now compared to implementing the digitized solution of DocuWare as well as how many trees can be saved in the process of manufacturing the necessary paper.

The CO2 Analyzer – An Internationally Developed Tool
The application was developed by a cross-cultural student team from the Munich University of Applied Sciences and Tampere University of Applied Sciences guided by Prof. Dr. Brehm, Prof. Dr. Günzel, Anne-Mari Sainio and Hans-Jürgen Haak. Furthermore, through the active engagement of DocuWare representatives during the development process the students were able to create a viable solution. Conclusively, the sales team of DocuWare as well as their potential customers are provided with a scientific-based calculation tool that highlights possible CO2 savings which can be used then as an additional selling point for their cloud solutions.

This Co-Innovation Lab project was carried out in cooperation with the Digital Transformation Lab (DTLab) at Munich University of Applied Sciences:

“The Digital Transformation Lab (DTLab) at Munich University of Applied Sciences is dedicated to the major social challenges of our time. Together with stakeholders in the private sector, students develop future-oriented solutions. They are supported by Amazon Web Services with state-of-the-art cloud technologies and the Working Backwards innovation methodology. We live digital transformation.”

More information about the Co-Innovation Lab and the Digital Transformation Lab (DTLab) at Munich University of Applied Sciences:

Autoren: Team Docuware

“PredictiveBMS” helps preserve art at the Museum of London

CIL projects, DTLab_Coop

In a project of the Co-innovation lab of the Munich University of Applied Sciences, a team of bachelor and master students together with the Museum of London tackled the challenge of introducing predictive maintenance to the museum’s Air Handling Units (AHUs). The “predictiveBMS” application developed in the project uses data from the many sensors in the museum’s AHUs and is able to predict when failures will occur based on the already available data. This addresses the problem of AHU downtime, which can damage the museum’s art in the long run, as the museum can currently only react to failures after they occured as there is no way to predict them at the moment.

Possibility to avoid failures and downtimes of the Air Handling Units

So far, the MoL has not been able to predict failures and defects in its AHUs. The AHUs ensure that the environmental conditions in the museum remain within the set parameters that provide an optimal indoor climate for the artworks and protect them from, for example, temperature fluctuations and humidity-related damage. However, AHU failures occur frequently and can cause damage to the museum’s artworks if they fail for an extended period of time.

Co-Innovation Lab develops “predictiveBMS” to forecast failures in Air Handling Units

To improve workflow and detect damage in advance, the new application “predictiveBMS” was developed  for the AHU maintenance at MoL. Building on the continuously collected data from various sensors in the AHUs, the MoL has taken the opportunity to further develop the smart buildings applications. predictiveBMS is based on machine learning and artificial intelligence and provides the engineers of the MoL with an opportunity  to be proactive, as it is now possible to predict failures and outages of the AHUs. The predictiveBMS system provides engineers with a web dashboard that displays all potential failures and sends alerts for faults that might occur. For on the go, predictiveBMS offers an app that can be used from anywhere and informs about potential outages through push notifications.

Facility managers and engineers are looking forward to integrating the solution into their work processes

“The move to use sophisticated learning, forecasting and prediction models in building maintenance is long overdue. We’re excited at the Museum of London to implement predictiveBMS to predict failures and improve operational knowledge and efficiency. This will be a key piece of Facilities Management software going forward.” – Steve Watson, Technical Building Lead (New Museum)

The Museum of London is striving to be carbon free by 2040

The development of a smart building management system that precisely meets the museum’s needs is intended to help achieve the target. The museum wants to be a pioneer in this field, but also a positive influence on other museums in terms of its public responsibility. Smart building management can save not only costs but also large amounts of greenhouse gasses and help to achieve the net zero emissions target set by the British government. In addition, the construction of the new museum, which is currently being designed, offers great potential to make processes and working methods more efficient. The Director of Museum of London (MoL), Sharon Ament has stated that her aim for the New Museum at Smithfield is to build “a new civic space, that is sustainable, for millions of visitors to enjoy, 24 hours a day”

     Project team: (front from left to right:) Ishak Hagi, Fabian Halbig, Jannis Unkrig. (Back from left to right:)
Jana Caven, Lea Neureither, Kathrin Wetzels, Ana Babovic, Tobias Schwarzer, Pascal Severin

Support through Amazon Web Services for project teams

During the development process of the product, the project team was supported by partners from Amazon Web Services (AWS). Lars Schmitz coached the teams at the beginning of the project in Amazon’s “Working Backwards” approach. An approach in which the customer’s problem is fundamentally analyzed and understood prior to the development phase. This process helped the team to thoroughly understand the client’s problem and thus develop an effective solution.

Dieses Co-Innovation Lab Projekt wurde in Kooperation mit dem Digital Transformation Lab (DTLab) an der Hochschule München durchgeführt:
Das Digital Transformation Lab (DTLab) der Hochschule München widmet sich den großen gesellschaftlichen Herausforderungen unserer Zeit. Zusammen mit Akteuren im öffentlichen Sektor entwickeln Studierende zukunftsweisende Lösungsansätze. Hierbei werden sie von Amazon Web Services mit state-of-the-art Cloud-Technologien und der Innovationsmethodik Working Backwards unterstützt. Wir leben digitale Transformation.

Weitere Informationen über das Co-Innovation Lab und das Digital Transformation Lab (DTLab) an der Hochschule München:

Autoren: Team MOL 1

The voice assistant that gives facility management a refreshing appeal

CIL projects, DTLab_Coop

The Museum of London stores the capital of England’s long history from its settlers to modern times and welcomes over one million visitors each year. To realize its vision of becoming a “smart museum” and making use of resources efficiently, once again in the summer semester of 2022, the Museum of London shakes hands with the University of Applied Science Munich students and works together on another project. Accompanying the museum on the way to achieving its goal, a group of ten students has teamed up and developed a solution to integrate the use of the voice assistant ALLRight into facility management at the museum.

The Vision for 2023

Committed to engaging more people and constantly transforming to be a “New Museum”, knowing exactly where and when a malfunction in the building occurs is of great importance for all stakeholders. Within the scope of the previous cooperation projects between the Museum of London and the student teams at MUAS (Andreas Meuser, Syed Muhammed Ali Raza, Tobias Kuch, Lukas Förner, Simon Meier, Richard Nefzger, Florian Kaiser, Daniel Eberhard, Mai Linh Tran, Florian Horder), the main goal always involved the efficient consumption of resources and maintaining the best environment not only for the visitors but also for the preservation of the historical artifacts.

Hurdles in the way

“Usually, when at work, I was constantly concerned about the museum’s condition. I could not quickly and easily get reliable information about the temperatures and humidities in the galleries. I wanted accurate, reliable, and valid information to know that everything was alright”, John, facility manager at the Museum of London said.” However, with ALLright I feel more confident at getting the information I need at any time. And all that can be done simultaneously while I am working on my desk!” However, facility managers at the Museum of London have been having difficulty in quickly finding out the state of the building. Due to various data points and limited access to these data, it involves an inefficient and time-consuming process to pinpoint the problems with the functionality of the building, as they have to check various systems or ask around to find out what is wrong. Instead of having to go through all these troubles, they want to be granted easy and quick access to insights into the building’s functionality, and the most convenient way to get the information they need is via a voice assistant.

Delivering a valuable solution to solve the client’s problem

The intuitive voice assistant ALLRight was developed as a “Skill” based on the foundation of Amazon’s infamous voice assistant Alexa. It answers the 8 critical questions about the condition of the buildings at the Museum of London and gives information about occurring technical problems. With the voice assistant, facility managers can conveniently get a fast and simple overview of the current state of the building. The special feature of ALLRight is the interaction between it and the user as the skill has been developed to be able to include personalization and naturally converse with users.

“The team has surpassed my expectation!”, the client from the Museum of London, Steve Watson – Technical Building Lead – and John Iaciofano – Facility Manager – are very thrilled about the development of the voice assistant ALLRight from the early days until the prototype is completed.

 “ALLright is an exciting game-changer, which makes accessing building information easy, fun, and reliable.  Managing buildings is all about decision-making and ALLright informs me quickly of the relevant information to support important decisions.  This app is a glimpse into the future of building management”, Steve said. He also added when asked about future implementation potentials, “I see a future where buildings become much better structured at the data layer and then voice assistants will have a very rich source of information and analysis available.  Then I see voice assistants becoming more adept at natural language and also having a back-end learning capability that improves with specific buildings, their datasets, and their interactions.”

Dieses Co-Innovation Lab Projekt wurde in Kooperation mit dem Digital Transformation Lab (DTLab) an der Hochschule München durchgeführt:
Das Digital Transformation Lab (DTLab) der Hochschule München widmet sich den großen gesellschaftlichen Herausforderungen unserer Zeit. Zusammen mit Akteuren im öffentlichen Sektor entwickeln Studierende zukunftsweisende Lösungsansätze. Hierbei werden sie von Amazon Web Services mit state-of-the-art Cloud-Technologien und der Innovationsmethodik Working Backwards unterstützt. Wir leben digitale Transformation.

Weitere Informationen über das Co-Innovation Lab und das Digital Transformation Lab (DTLab) an der Hochschule München:

Autoren: Mai Linh Tran

Conscious canteen food with EatGreener

CIL projects, DTLab_Coop

In cooperation with Green Canteen and the Co-Innovation Lab, a newly conceptualized application EatGreener was launched. The application enables canteen guests to be more aware of the origin of their lunch. At the same time, collecting points with the purchase of Green Canteen products is possible.

EatGreener Prototype

Low willingness to buy regional organic food from canteen guests without further information

Green Canteen’s mission is to provide organic farmers with easier access to canteens and to make it easier for canteens to switch to regional products. Canteen patrons today need to find a balance between prices and regional foods when making a purchasing decision in the canteen. The results of a survey conducted with canteen patrons showed that only 9% of respondents would choose regional organic food. With the help of a simulation in which an organic farmer and his products were presented, 45% of the respondents were already willing to pay more money for a regional organic meal.

Creation of an informative website and incentive system for the purchase of regional organic food.

After these results, the vision was created to develop a website that provides customers with information on the origin of the products, the CO2 consumption made and the added value that these products provide in organic form. This will get the customer excited about regional organic products. The website is easily accessible via cell phone using a QR code displayed in the canteen. A further incentive to buy is created with a points system. With this, canteen guests receive a discounted vegetable or fruit basket from a cooperating organic farmer on site.

Eleven students from the fields of business administration and computer science at Munich University of Applied Sciences have tackled this challenge and developed a prototype for EatGreener.

This Co-Innovation Lab project was carried out in cooperation with the Digital Transformation Lab (DTLab) at Munich University of Applied Sciences:
The Digital Transformation Lab (DTLab) at Munich University of Applied Sciences is dedicated to the major social challenges of our time. Together with stakeholders in the public sector, students develop forward-looking solutions. They are supported by Amazon Web Services with state-of-the-art cloud technologies and the Working Backwards innovation methodology. We live digital transformation.

More information about the Co-Innovation Lab and the Digital Transformation Lab (DTLab) at Munich University of Applied Sciences:

Creation of Audio Reports for Facility Managers at the Museum of London

CIL projects, DTLab_Coop

The Co-Innovation Lab of the Munich University of Applied Sciences enabled a team of its’ students to demonstrate their skills. As part of the project, they developed a web-based software solution for the Museum of London (MOL). The smartReport (SRP) application collects sensor data from the building and creates audio reports that are made available to the museums’ Facility Managers. The SRP provides a general overview, helps with long-term maintenance of the building, and supports day-to-day operations by providing building data in a convenient way.


Dashboard view to access the current status reports on the building data of the Museum of London Docklands.

Museum of London – A building full of history and innovative drive

The Museum of London Docklands is committed to maintaining its historical repertoire. The staff, as well as the public of London, share a great interest in presenting a part of their history to visitors from all over the world for years to come. With this in mind, it is important to roll out innovative technology and enable the facility managers to do so as best as possible.

A matter of heart – The need for novel software solutions in everyday life is apparent

Until now, facility managers struggled with cumbersome information processes: Long and complicated chains of communication, complex software systems, and a missing integrated overview. They wondered if it is possible to be informed more quickly about critical data such as the humidity or temperature. Enabled employees, that is exactly what the technical management of the Museum has at heart. They are behind a new innovative thrust and are willing to invest in new technical implementations.

Co-Innovation Lab develops a web app that informs the user about building data via audio

The user-friendly application makes the facility managers’ everyday work easier. They can flexibly access the status reports from any location in the building via web either on their mobile phones or on the desktop computers in the backoffice. For the facility managers, this means no more cumbersome trips to the backoffice and an immediate understanding of the health of the bulding conditions and risk exposures of important exhibits while on the museum floor. But SmartReport wouldn’t be smart if it didn’t have smart functions in it. In the case of the novel SmartReport app, they come in form of dynamically created audio reports from realtime building data. The big benefit: Facility managers can access and assess everything relevant while action and without any interruption of their ongoing tasks.

Build things people need – Amazon Web Services as technical and methodical support

The app was developed in cooperation with partners from Amazon AWS who coached the team throughout their project. A modern methodology called ‘Amazon Working Backwards’ was applied to emphasize and approach the need of the facility managers in London. Based on regular talks and reviews the prototype was created in small but quick iterations.

The management, as well as the facility managers, are enthusiastic about the new solution

During the solution presentation, the facility managers and more than ten other stakeholders from the Museum of London praised the successfully validated prototype. A lively review and enthusiastic discussion about the implementation and future use cases has proven that the project hit the needs and the students fullfilled the core philosophy behind the Co-Innovation approach.

“As far as I know, this is the very first time in the history of the Museum of London that audio reports were created from real data in London!” – Steve Watson,Technical Lead at the Museum of London Docklands

“I just wanted to say it has been great working with you on this. I really like how the team approached and recognized our need just to prove how it could be met in such a short time” – John Laciofano,Facility Manager of the MOL

Team members of the Co-Innovation project: Roles of the Scrum Process & Working Backward Process

This Co-Innovation Lab project was carried out in cooperation with the Digital Transformation Lab (DTLab) at Munich University of Applied Sciences:
The Digital Transformation Lab (DTLab) at Munich University of Applied Sciences is dedicated to the major social challenges of our time. Together with stakeholders in the public sector, students develop forward-looking solutions. They are supported by Amazon Web Services with state-of-the-art cloud technologies and the Working Backwards innovation methodology. We live digital transformation.

More information about the Co-Innovation Lab and the Digital Transformation Lab (DTLab) at Munich University of Applied Sciences:

Wind power becomes digital

CIL projects, DTLab_Coop

The platform developed by HM students as part of the Co-Innovation Lab for the State Agency for Energy and Climate Protection (LENK) is intended to help mayors better inform their community about the topic of wind power in the future. LENK and the Co-Innovation Lab at Munich University of Applied Sciences worked together as part of a project in the period from March to July 2021.

Mayors will also be able to create, edit and manage projects independently in the future. A display also provides information about the potential earnings if the wind power plant had been fully operational from the start. (Source: www.lenk.de)

The State Agency for Energy and Climate Protection (LENK) is actively engaged in implementing the political requirements for the energy transition and climate protection. In doing so, it acts on the one hand as a competence and consulting agency of the Free State of Bavaria and on the other hand as a driving force for the implementation of climate policy measures. A particular focus is on the expansion of renewable energies, especially wind energy.

Wind energy to become more transparent

The client was represented by the project partners Ulrich Buchhauser (Head of the State Agency for Energy and Climate Protection) and Keywan Pour-Sartip (C.A.R.M.E.N. e.V). The 10-member student consulting team consisted of bachelor’s and master’s students from the business administration, design and computer science departments. Within the framework of the project, an innovative platform was created that will allow mayors to inform their citizens about the topic of wind power in a targeted and fact-based manner in the future. The aim is to eliminate the spread of misinformation as far as possible and to create transparency. A central point of contact for interested parties did not exist before the website was introduced.

Information platform and project management system on one website

In the future, mayors should also be able to plan, create and manage projects independently. A ready-made action plan also shows which measures still need to be taken so that the intended wind power project can be successfully implemented. An integrated site search as well as the linking with the map of the Energy Atlas of Bavaria also allows a precise planning of new projects.

Mayor and citizens are fully informed in the future

Keywan Pour-Sartip (C.A.R.M.E.N e.V) is also convinced by the innovative concept of the HM students: “As a result of this collaborative effort, we have succeeded in creating a platform that provides mayors with appropriate access to information and helps them support their wind energy projects.”

This Co-Innovation Lab project was carried out in cooperation with the Digital Transformation Lab (DTLab) at Munich University of Applied Sciences:
The Digital Transformation Lab (DTLab) at Munich University of Applied Sciences is dedicated to the major social challenges of our time. Together with stakeholders in the public sector, students develop forward-looking solutions. They are supported by Amazon Web Services with state-of-the-art cloud technologies and the Working Backwards innovation methodology. We live digital transformation.

More information about the Co-Innovation Lab and the Digital Transformation Lab (DTLab) at Munich University of Applied Sciences: