Category: Uncategorized

Categories
Uncategorized

Revolutionizing Smart City Wayfinding 

Waymap Launches Across the Entire Transit System – Indoor, Outdoor, and Underground.

 

Navigating public transit can be a challenge for anyone, including individuals who are blind, have low vision, or have other mobility needs. Complex stations, unfamiliar routes, elevator outages, and inaccessible signage create barriers that make independent travel difficult. But what if an app could provide precise, step-by-step navigation, along with alert notifications and rerouting, making public transit truly inclusive? 

Waymap’s Official Launch: A Game-Changer for Inclusive Navigation 

From Early Trials to a Breakthrough in Inclusive Wayfinding 

Back in 2015, at Gateway Navigation, we began exploring how emerging technologies—specifically iBeacons and the iPhone—could revolutionize navigation for people who are blind or have low vision. By 2017, we had connected with the Wayfindr Project in the UK and Right-Hear in Israel, running our own BLE beacon trial at the Vancouver Central Library. Looking back, it’s remarkable how quickly technology has evolved in such a short time. 

Over the years, two key approaches to inclusive digital wayfinding (Augmented Reality / AR) have emerged: 

  • Camera-based vision technology, used by innovative app developers including Aira, GoodMaps, and NaviLens. 
  • Smartphone sensor-based navigation apps, led by Waymap and Haptic. 

Which brings us to today—and our excitement about the official Waymap launch across the Washington Metropolitan Transit Authority (WMTA). This milestone is more than just a technological achievement—it’s a transformational step toward universal accessibility. Waymap is led by Tom Pey, a blind visionary dedicated to fundamentally changing how people, regardless of their challenge, navigate the world. 

Waymap Launches Across the Entire WMTA: Revolutionizing Navigation for All 

Navigating complex city spaces can be challenging, but for people who are blind, have low vision, or have mobility limitations, it can often feel daunting or impossible. That’s where Waymap comes in—an innovative navigation app designed to make cities and transit systems moreinclusive for everyone. Whether you are hopping on a bus, catching a train, or simply walking through a station, Waymap provides step-by-step audio / text guidance to help users travel safely and independently. 

A Major Milestone: The WMTA Partnership 

Waymap has taken a significant step forward with its full deployment across WMTA, covering: 

  • 98 rail stations 
  • Over 11,000 bus stops 
  • 325 bus routes 

This launch is the culmination of a four-year partnership between WMTA and Waymap, which began with a successful pilot project at Crystal City station in 2021. Now, Waymap’s real-time navigation works seamlessly in both indoor and outdoor environments, ensuring users can confidently navigate whether they’re in busy stations, on city streets, or underground. 

How Waymap Works 

What makes Waymap revolutionary is its ability to navigate without relying on GPS, Wi-Fi, or cellular signals. Instead, it uses the phone’s internal sensors—such as the gyroscope, accelerometer, barometer, and magnetometer—to gather real-time data. These sensors allow Waymap to determine direction, speed, altitude, and orientation, using AI-powered algorithms to ensure accuracy within one step. 

With precise, step-by-step audio/ text instructions, users can navigate public transit independently and safely, even in signal-dead zones like underground stations. 

Why It Matters 

The launch of Waymap in the WMTA system is not just a technological breakthrough—it’s a significant step toward more inclusive cities. Beyond assisting people with disabilities, this app also benefits seniors, young families, tourists, and newcomers who may struggle with complex transit networks. 

WMTA is also implementing broader accessibility improvements, including: 

  • Updated signage 
  • Intuitive wayfinding icons 
  • Enhancements to overall station accessibility 

Waymap is proving that accessible / inclusive transit benefits everyone—and it’s time to bring this innovation to more cities. 

A Call for Canadian Input: Where Should Waymap Go Next? 

Now that Waymap is revolutionizing transit in Washington, where should it expand next? We believe Canadian cities would greatly benefit from this cutting-edge tool—but we need your input. 

📢 Have Your Say! 

We’re inviting Canadians to share their thoughts on which cities or transit systems should be actively implementing Waymap or other similar innovative solutions. 

🚀 Help Us Make Transit More Accessible! 

If you’re passionate about accessible navigation, we’d love to hear from you! Your feedback will help advocate for better, more inclusive transit solutions across Canada. 

💡 Take our quick survey below to help shape the future of inclusive transit in Canada. Where should Waymap go next? Let’s decide together! 

#Waymap #AccessibleTransit #SmartCities #InclusiveMobility #BlindNavigation #DisabilityInclusion #PublicTransport #UrbanInnovation 

Read App Review for Waymap WMTA
Categories
Advocacy Awareness Uncategorized

How Accessibility Builds Purpose-Driven Companies

Video with CAN WiN & Open Door Group

We are proud to support this campaign with CAN WiN & Open Door Group, showcasing how businesses can champion accessibility and unlock new opportunities. 

"Accessibility empowers people to work at these businesses. The employees there understand that their company is actively engaging with communities. It is doing Tech for Good. It is standing for social justice, which not only makes you proud of the company you work for, but also empowers you to try to make a difference." 
David Brun, Co-founder, Gateway Navigation 

Join us in amplifying this message, reshare and let’s create a more inclusive world!

Click Here

#WorkplaceCulture #AccessibleWorkplaces #InclusiveWorkplace #AccessibilityMatters #DisabilityInclusion 

Categories
Uncategorized

Gateway Navigation Celebrated as Untapped Awards Nominee!

Ready to find out more?

We’re excited to share that Gateway Navigation has been nominated for the 2024 Untapped Awards in the Social Enterprise category! This B.C. Disability Employment Month, we were honored to discuss what accessibility means to us.

We’d love to hear your thoughts—feel free to reply to this email or connect with us on LinkedIn.

You can read more in this inspiring LinkedIn post:

https://www.linkedin.com/posts/davidatgateway_untappedawards-disabilityinclusion-diversity-activity-7237839458983698432-Mwhs?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktop

Click Here
Categories
Built Environment Innovation Uncategorized

Review: Goodmaps Explore Indoor Navigation App

Enhancing Independent Indoor Travel for People with Vision Loss

For people who are blind or low vision, navigating unfamiliar or complex indoor spaces can be a challenging task. However, over the last few years, there has been an emergence of location-based indoor wayfinding technology that has the potential to revolutionize how people with vision loss navigate indoor environments.

One such technology is Goodmaps Explore (Indoor), which I recently had the opportunity to test in a full deployment. While it does not replace traditional mobility aids such as a white cane or guide dog, it provides an experience that is as close to GPS as I have encountered indoors. For people with vision loss. This means greater independence and choice when traveling to places like the CNIB Offices located at the Royal Centre Mall in New Westminster, BC, Canada.

“Goodmaps now supports two separate Apps. Goodmaps Explore (indoor) and Goodmaps Outdoor”

The Goodmaps Explore deployment is the result of a collaboration between CNIB, Royal Centre Mall, and the Goodmaps Explore Team. This collaboration has resulted in a service benefiting both people who are blind and sighted.

As someone who has been involved in the development of location-based indoor wayfinding technology for many years, I have tested several other apps with promising results in trial situations. However, my experience with Goodmaps Explore has been the first full deployment I have had the opportunity to test, and I am impressed with its potential.

It is important to note that while technology like Goodmaps is a step forward in enhancing independent indoor travel for people with vision loss, it does not replace good orientation and mobility training. Proper training, combined with location-based wayfinding technology, can provide a greater sense of independence and freedom for people with vision loss.

My Experience Testing Goodmaps Explore (indoor) App

Recently, I joined ten other participants who were blind or low vision, with a mix of self-guiding, white cane, and guide dog users. The route we were to navigate took us from the second-floor CNIB office main meeting room down to the main floor entrance to Royal Centre Mall and then returning to the CNIB meeting room where we began our journey. The length of the route was about 350 meters in both directions.

Julia Bonnet from the CNIB and Mike May from Goodmaps began the morning by providing a high-level overview of the Goodmaps Explore app. They took the participants through the process of downloading and setting preferences for the app. Mike mentioned that he used a lanyard to hold his smartphone and its camera at chest level for hands-free use of the app.

I had been using a beta version of Goodmaps via TestFlight. But Mike informed me that the beta version was not being actively updated, and I should use the publicly available store app, which I did on my iPhone SE (2nd generation). Once Goodmaps updated to the public version, the app immediately identified the Royal Centre Mall as the closest Goodmaps enabled venue. FYI: the app is available in both iOS and Android formats.

Julia asked all participants to set their route preference to "no steps," which meant escalators and stair routes were not included as part of any journey. Instead, we would all be routed via Royal Centre Mall elevators. This is a great feature for people with mobility challenges, but I thought it was an unnecessary requirement given the highly mobile group of participants.

Both downloading the app and setting preferences were easy. However, the setting of the starting location and destination were a little more time-consuming, for which Julia provided some suggestions for streamlining. Mike indicated that the user experience piece for setting routes was being improved for future versions. That said, we were able to select destinations dependent on the floor they were located, which reduced the number of destinations to scroll.

I was paired up with John, a white cane user, and I was traveling with my guide dog Parker. John and I decided not to use headsets with our phones, using the voice-over audio of our phones as a means to stay connected, rather than having to check on each other's location during the route.

Before we started the route, Mike mentioned that the app had occasionally shut down when in use and asked us to let him know of any similar occurrences. This did happen with me when trying to set the return journey from the main Mall entrance. That said, it was fairly simple to restart the app, and it is something the developers are aware of and working to resolve.

Once the button was pressed to start the route, Mike suggested keeping our smartphone cameras pointed towards the ground, which puts the app into a pause mode. Then, lifting the smartphone camera to be pointed directly forward initiates the app. When activated, it asked me to scan the room to establish my location. The app then confirmed and provided the beginning of my route to move forward four meters, updating the directions as we moved through our journey.

John, using his white cane, traveled a little slower than the pace I traveled with my guide, which worked to John's benefit, as the lag time between the app registering its location and the next set of directions lagged behind the pace I was traveling.

The sporadic lag time in directions and at times long delay between instructions is the major hurdle the Goodmaps Team need to overcome. That said, with a little patience it is a very effective tool in guiding users through a journey.

In addition, the high battery power consumption by the app is also important for users to be aware and take steps to conserve power or have a recharger at hand. Found about ten percent power drain for every ten minutes of use with my iPhone SE.

Within Goodmaps, there is also a link to the remote assistant app “Be My Eyes”. Users can connect if they need assistance to identify there surroundings or help with other visual information required.

In regard to Goodmaps Explore virtual map option. I found the feature lacking in flexibility. I had previously used the Accessibuild App. Which provided instructions for the whole journey in steps or metres along with the option to identify all stores, room numbers and architectural elements that could assist in your real time journey. Found this type of information really useful for trip planning and hope it will be expanded upon in Goodmaps Explore.

Summary

We used the Goodmaps Explore App to navigate a route from the CNIB office to the Royal Centre Mall main entrance and back. Participants were given an overview of the app by Julia Bonnet from CNIB and Mike May from Goodmaps before setting preferences and downloading the app. The app was easy to download and preferences were easy to set. However, the process of selecting starting and destination locations was a little time-consuming. The app occasionally shut down during use but was easy to restart. The main hurdle was the lag time in directions and at times long delay between instructions. Battery power consumption was high, and the Goodmaps virtual map option was found lacking in flexibility. Despite these challenges, the app was effective in guiding users through the journey.

Finally, I want to give a thumbs up to CNIB, Royal Centre Mall, and Goodmaps Explore Team for their partnership and collaboration in enhancing independent indoor travel for everyone. Keep up the great work, and I look forward to exploring your future venues.

For more information on Goodmaps Explore (indoor) and to download the app, click on the following link: https://goodmaps.com/apps/explore

In our comments section. Please share your comments and experiences using Goodmaps Explore.

Thank you for taking the time to read this post and keep Exploring the fabulous world around us.

  • David Brun
  • Gateway Navigation CCC Ltd.
  • North Vancouver, BC
Click Here
Categories
Digital Information Uncategorized

Year in Review and Outlook for 2023

New Way to See Digital Graphics via Internet Multimodal Access to Graphical Exploration (IMAGE)

Hello, IMAGE Community!

This is Cyan Kuo, Usability Research Lead of the IMAGE Project (https://image.a11y.mcgill.ca). Thank you again for all your help and support this past year.

Your contribution is critical to our research and we hope that we can continue to improve IMAGE so that you can enjoy graphics on the internet in a novel way.

To recap this past year, we're happy to now have:

  • released the extension publicly, including new prototype maps renderings and a refined charts experience (more of that in the new year)
  • presented our project at seven talks, conferences and conventions
  • conducted five studies, gathering data from thirty-six participants (thank you so much!)

Things we're working on and planning on releasing in 2023:

  • optical character recognition
  • Open Street Maps support with much more road information
  • new, more detailed charts experiences
  • initial groundwork for French support,
  • new machine learning for recognizing celebrities, clothing, and emotions

We have other exciting new developments and new studies in the new year.

We'll keep you in the loop!

Have a safe and happy holiday season. Wishing you all the best,

Cyan Kuo

IMAGE Usability Research & Community Relations Lead | Lab Manager

Shared Reality Lab | Dept. of Electrical and Computer Engineering | McGill University

Click Here
Categories
Uncategorized

New Assistive Tech Coming 2022

Robotics and Chrome Browser Extension Come to IMAGE

New Year’s Day signifies the start of the final quarter for the funding of the IMAGE Project by Innovation Science Economic Development Canada. In which the researchers at the Shared Reality Lab at McGill University are in high gear to complete the initial version of IMAGE and supporting devices by the projects end date March 31, 2022.

Although user testing has been limited to the use of spatial audio to assist blind users in exploring internet graphics. Haptic (touch) user testing will be the focus over January, February, and March. Including launch of the beta version of the IMAGE chrome browser extension.

Earlier in December I had the opportunity to assist with the Alfa version testing of a robotic device compatible with IMAGE. That has a passive user mode. In which, the Artificial Intelligence / Machine Learning technology moves a handheld pointer over the main elements of the graphic. Then permitting the user to actively explore the graphic. Gaming opportunities was an immediate thought as I explored the graphic. Moreover, the device is substantially less in cost to other haptic devices on the market.

But I am getting ahead of the current phase of the project. As the usefulness and the technologies being developed are ultimately up to the users they are being co-designed.

Look for our updates over the next few months as we go from testing to market and although the hardware devices will have costs attached to them The IMAGE chrome browser extension basic will be free for users to download and use.

Here are more details on IMAGE:

Welcome to IMAGE (Internet Multimodal Access to Graphical Exploration). This project is carried out by McGill University's Shared Reality Lab (SRL), in strategic partnership with Gateway Navigation CCC Ltd and the Canadian Council of the Blind (CCB). The project is funded by Innovation Science Economic Development Canada through the Assistive Technology Program. The motivation for this project is to improve the access to internet graphics for people who are blind or partially sighted.

The Challenge

On the internet, graphic material such as maps, photographs, and charts that represent numerical information, are clear and straightforward to those who can see it. For people with low vision, this is not the case. Rendering of graphical information is often limited to manually generated alt-text HTML labels, often abridged, and lacking in richness. This represents a better-than-nothing solution but remains woefully inadequate. Artificial intelligence (AI) technology can improve the situation, but existing solutions are non-interactive, and provide a minimal summary at best, without offering a cognitive understanding of the content, such as points of interest within a map, or the relationship between elements of a schematic diagram. So, the essential information described by the graphic frequently remains inaccessible.

Website Picture: A woman sitting at a computer that is displaying a web page with six images. She has a cup of coffee to her left and a phone to her right.​

Website Picture: A man who is blind or low sighted wearing a sweater and headphones, sitting in front of a computer in a library, reading a braille book.

Our Approach

We use rich audio (sonification) together with the sense of touch (haptics) to provide a faster and more nuanced experience of graphics on the web. For example, by using spatial audio, where the user experiences the sound moving around them through their headphones, information about the spatial relationships between various objects in the scene can be quickly conveyed without reading long descriptions. In addition, rather than only passive experiences of listening to audio, we allow the user to actively explore a photograph either by pointing to different portions and hearing about its content or nuance or use a custom haptic device to literally feel aspects like texture or regions. This will permit interpretation of maps, drawings, diagrams, and photographs, in which the visual experience is replaced with multimodal sensory feedback, rendered in a manner that helps overcome access barriers for users who are blind, deaf-blind, or partially sighted.

Try it out.

Engaging the Community

Collaborating with the community is key when creating accessible technology. Our team is partnering with Gateway Navigation CCC Ltd and the Canadian Council of the Blind (CCB), a consumer organization of Canadians who are blind, to ensure that our system is in line with the needs of the community. We are in regular contact with community members as part of our co-design approach, who are helping guide the development process but there is always room for more voices. If you'd like to contribute to the project, we invite you to fill out our community survey.

Participate in our community survey.

Website Picture: Two sets of hands going over a Braille book. An overhead view of a software engineer's desk featuring two monitors displaying code and a laptop.

Our Technology

Our project is designed to be as freely available as possible, as well as extensible so that artists, technologists, or even companies can produce new experiences for specific graphical content that they know how to render. If someone has a special way of rendering cat photos, they do not have to reinvent the wheel, but can create a module that focuses on their specific audio and haptic rendering and plug it into our overall system.

Learn more about how our system works.

Contact Us

For more information email: image@gnc3.com

 

Categories
Uncategorized

Buildex Vancouver 2019: Inclusive Design

Enhancing Accessibility One Building at a Time

What is Buildex?

BUILDEX is the voice of the building industry today, and the vision of its future. This exciting event – the largest in Western Canada – brings together talent from across industry to interact, learn and discover the newest innovations of a market in constant transformation.

BUILDEX Vancouver is an event that enables Architecture & Design, Construction, and Property Management professionals to immerse themselves in dialogue and build community, providing a meaningful platform for industry advancement.

Speakers:

Jim Taggart FRAIC, Editor, SABMag; Director, Gateway Navigation

BIO: https://www.gnc3.com/jim-taggart-advisor-architectural-inclusive-design.html

Albert A. Ruel, Canadian Council of the Blind, Coordinator, Get Together with Technology Program; Advisor, Gateway Navigation;

BIO: https://www.gnc3.com/albert-ruel-advisor-assistive-technology-ccb-gtt.html

David Brun, Founder & Director, Gateway Navigation

BIO: https://www.gnc3.com/david-brun-advisor-business-finance-social-enterprise.html

Seminar Summary:

A decade after the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, the proposed 'Accessible Canada Act (Bill C-81) had its first reading in the House of Commons in June 2018. Bill C-81 marks a paradigm shift in our understanding of, and attitude towards disability. No longer do we view disability as a medical condition, or a circumstance to be alleviated through acts of charity or welfare programs, rather it is now seen as a social phenomenon that results from the interaction of a person with an environment that, through its design, denies that person the opportunity of full participation in society.

However, technology is emerging that will give low and no vision building users access to site specific information for interior navigation using their smart phone. Unlike GPS for which the satellite infrastructure had been previously developed by various space agencies and national governments, interior navigation networks must be developed one building at a time, using either low energy beacons or wireless 'fingerprinting.'

This presentation will provide an overview of the current state of this technology and the protocols being developed to ensure a seamless interface and consistent experience for users, whatever building they may be trying to access anywhere in Canada. Authorities having jurisdiction, building owners and designers will learn what role they can play in advancing this technology and hence improving accessibility in their buildings. Attendees will have the opportunity to try the technology for themselves.

Seminar Information:

Seminar Name / Codes:

T40 – Enhancing Accessibility One Building at a Time

[Building Performance, Culture & Community, Health & Wellness, Leadership & Business Improvement, Project Management & Process Improvement]

[ AIBC 1.5 Core LU • BOMI 1.5 CPDs • 1.5 HSW-Barrier Free Hours IDCEC Approved ]

Location: VANCOUVER CONVENTION CENTRE WEST

Date: Thursday, February 14, 2019

Time: 2:00pm to 3:30pm

Room 208/09

Cost:  Buildex fee to attend seminar $60.00 – register and payment via Buildex Vancouver webpage: https://www.buildexvancouver.com/en/home.html. Limited number of free passes are available: contact partners@gnc3.com to enquire on availability.

For more information contact: partners@gnc3.com

End of Document