MacNav: A New Digital Wayfinding Pilot Project

Need help finding a tutorial room? Lost in the basement under the Arts Quad? Need to find the nearest caffeine, STAT? 

There’s an app for that. Literally.  

A new collaborative pilot project between the DeGroote School of Business, the Faculty of Humanities and ESRI Canada is bringing accessible, step-by-step navigation to the McMaster central campus. 

The project uses ArcGIS, an industry-leading mapping software, to provide step-by-step guided mobile navigation across the exterior of Mac’s campus – and, in some cases, indoors as well.  

The app is free, available to the entire McMaster community, and can be downloaded on the Apple App Store or Google Play. For instructions on how to set up the app, visit the MacNav website.   

Indoor locations on the app for this first phase of the pilot are: 

• The basement corridors under the Arts Quad 
• The Peter George Centre for Living and Learning (PGCLL) 
• Togo Salmon Hall (TSH) 
• The DeGroote School of Business (DSB)
•  Chester New Hall (CNH; first floor only) 

Hundreds of campus locations are indexed on the app, and maps show the location of buildings as well as emergency phones, places to eat (and caffeinate), ATMs, bus stops and other spots of interest. Users can also select accessible routes that include ramps and elevators.  

And because the project is in its pilot stage, feedback is welcome to help improve the app’s performance. Users can report inaccurate or unusual routes, or missing locations, on the MacNav website.  

For more information, go to the MacNav website.