By Wayne Antle
In June, I had the opportunity to test an exciting app for indoor navigation called GoodMaps. This app has been around for a little while, but is continuing to improve substantially. I would like to describe the app and provide my first impressions while testing the app.
What is GoodMaps?
GoodMaps offers two apps on the IOS App Store and Google Play Store--GoodMaps and GoodMaps Outdoors. The first of these is designed to provide indoor navigation in supported buildings. GoodMaps Outdoors provides outdoor GPS navigation similar to Blind Square and Voice Vista, with the added benefit of being able to map routes similar to Google Maps and Apple Maps. I will focus on the first app, used for indoor navigation, since this is the one I tested. However, the representative from GoodMaps Inc. indicated that they plan to combine the two apps into one comprehensive app in the near future.
How Does Good Maps Work?
GoodMaps provides indoor navigation in buildings that have been mapped. Essentially, somebody takes a series of pictures and measurements using LiDAR to develop a spatial image of the environment, which is then uploaded to the app. Once in the app, anybody who enters the building can open the app and use the phone’s camera to navigate around the space. What makes this app truly versatile is that it does not depend on external beacons to navigate, but rather uses the information provided through the phone’s camera. It is possible that, in the future, anybody with a phone utilizing LiDAR could develop and upload indoor maps, thereby increasing the availability of many more spaces.
My Experience Using the App
I tested the app at the Ottawa Via Rail Station in June. When I arrived at the station, I opened the app and it identified that I was near the building. I double tapped the “Check In” button, and the building map immediately opened. When I had met with a representative from GoodMaps Inc., she gave me a short tutorial on how to use the app. However, the app has a built in tutorial, which provides the same information. During the test, the representative asked me to navigate to a specific location, such as the ticket counter. I could select this location from the Directory, or search for it. I selected the location and held my phone vertically in front of me. I wore a bluetooth earphone to make the instructions easier to hear since the building could be noisy. When I lifted the phone into the vertical position with the rear camera facing ahead of me, it started navigating me to the selected location. It would say, for example, walk forward 15 metres and then turn right. It would emit a series of tones to let me know that I was on the right track. It would then instruct me when to turn right (or left) as the case may be. It took a little practice, but I quickly learned how to respond to the app’s instructions. I arrived at the ticket counter with no sighted assistance. I tried it for several other locations which, with one exception, worked equally well. In one case, the coffee shop that was listed in the directory did not generate any routing instructions. The GoodMaps representative made note of this for map updating.
Overall, I was very impressed with the utility of this app, and can see it being a game changer for navigating areas such as airports, transportation stations and hubs, shopping centres, and any other large indoor spaces.
Challenges While Using the App
Even though the app worked well, the big challenge for me was the need to hold the phone vertically in front of me while navigating. If I was travelling with a white cane or guide dog and a suitcase, this would be problematic. It is possible that the app would work through wearables with cameras as these become more prevalent in the future. For now, you could try putting your phone in a lanyard.
Closing Comments
In my opinion, This app holds a lot of promise for independent indoor navigation. Currently, there are many buildings mapped and the list is growing rapidly. Of course, one challenge will be to keep the maps current as indoor spaces get modified. This could be alleviated somewhat if the maps could be updated locally using phones that have LiDAR.
To get the app, simply search for GoodMaps in the IOS App Store or Google Play app stores.
FEATURED IMAGE ALT TEXT: Man with a white cane holding a phone and navigating use the app.