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 navigation to the McMaster central campus.

The app 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. It is available to the entire McMaster community and free to download on the Apple App Store and Google Play. For setup instructions, visit the MacNav website.

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

• The basement corridors under the Arts Quad
• Peter George Centre for Living and Learning (PGCLL)
• Togo Salmon Hall (TSH)
• 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, visit the MacNav website.