Luminary: A Project for Accessible Campus Directions

Christine Mendoza

April 2023

Motivation

Examples of accessibility issues on the UNC Campus

Examples: Outdoors, Hardin Hall to Rosenau Hall

Example: Route 1

Ramps to avoid corresponding stairs for this route are not available on this map.

Example: Route 1, Accessibility Issue 1

A truck temporarily blocks a sidewalk. Truck mirrors pose a potentially undetectable hazard to persons with visual impairments.

Example: Route 1, Accessibility Issue 2

The intersection of West Drive and Manning Drive lacks a curb cut, forcing pedestrians who use it to potentially swerve into oncoming traffic.

Example: Route 1, Accessibility Issue 3

Construction spans large areas, closing sidewalks and curb cuts for set amounts of time.

Example: Route 2

Ramps to avoid corresponding stairs for this route are not available on this map.

Example: Route 2, Accessibility Issue 1

While not readily apparent to the naked eye, this sidewalk is too narrow for wheelchair users to safely pass through when bicycles are parked.

Example: Route 3

For wheelchair users, this is one potential path that avoids most obstacles.

Examples: Indoors

• Completely inaccessible buildings and buildings which are not accessible beyond the ground floor
• Link to data and source
• Rooms that are partially or completely inaccessible
• Sitterson 011 and similar classrooms have steps preventing access to the front and/or back of the room
• Most rooms and restrooms do not have push buttons
• Broken accessibility equipment
• Elevators
• Push buttons

Goals

Problem Overview and Project Objectives

Identifying the Problem

Problem and Goal

• Problem: Lack of information on accessibility of routes and buildings
• Accessible routes often exist, but are difficult to find
• Events are sometimes planned in inaccessible areas, resulting in inequitable access to classes, events, and activities
• Conditions (such as construction and equipment status) constantly change
• Goal: To ensure equitable, clear physical access to campuses for all
• Crowdsource data on accessible routes and potential obstacles
• Display accessibility equipment status
• Suggest optimal routes specific to user abilities

Key Features

• Visual and audial step-by-step directions
• Customizable accessible route option (outdoor and indoor)
• Accessibility-related information
• Location Markers
• Accessibility aids
• Permanent obstacles
• Temporary obstacles
• (future) Areas of rescue assistance
• Pathway grade (steepness)
• Notes

Potential Features: Integrations with UNC APIs

• Building maintenance tickets
• Reporting broken equipment
• Updates when equipment is fixed
• The app will provide fine-grained data on equipment downtime
• Classroom scheduling information
• Guide movement of classes when equipment breaks
• Aid in event scheduling

Research

Areas of investigation

User Interface Design

• Strengths and weaknesses of alternatives
• Google Maps
• Concept3D Campus Maps
• IAccess Life, AccessMap, WheelMap
• (Future) Similar apps at Clemson and Michigan State
• Survey data and focus groups
• Students affiliated with ARS
• Students affiliated with Tar Heels at the Table
• (Future) Similar university organizations nationwide through AccessSTEM or networking

Open-Source Accessibility

• Pros and cons of open-source ecosystems for accessibility-focused technology
• Integrating and/or building upon existing technology
• OpenStreetMap
• OpenRouteService API
• Overpass API
• Indoor Mapping Data Format

Distributed Systems Research

• Ensuring accuracy of crowdsourced data
• Synthesizing route history of users with similar profiles to suggest routes and validate the presence of obstacles
• Extension of existing Byzantine and other protocols
• Navigating using factors not currently supported by OpenRouteService
• Traffic data
• Availability of rest areas
• Expanding Gharebaghi et al.’s fuzzy approach to route planning for people with motor disabilities
• Calculates an optimality metric based on users’ confidence levels in navigating environmental features and potential obstacles
• Distributed databases
• Store obstacle and user history data across clients
• Send information on obstacles between clients in similar areas

Evaluating Accessibility of Campus Spaces

• Maintaining an analytics dashboard on equipment downtime and the number of campus affiliates affected
• Analyzing data on issues
• Impact of routing systems on navigation time
• Impact of reporting aids on equipment downtime
• Impact of informational aids on awareness of campus resources

Development

Roadmap

Development Overview

• Open-source API (Data sources)
• Outdoor route data through OpenRouteService and OpenStreetMap
• Crowdsourced obstacle and building information
• Navigation within buildings
• Research into optimization of user-specific routes
• Web and iOS clients
• Collaborative file-sharing
• GitHub Organization

Current Progress

• Initial version of API is deployed through CarolinaCloudApps and is currently undergoing testing, modification, and documentation
• Outdoor route data - 250 doors and 40 ramps have been annotated
• Crowdsourced obstacle information
• Web client (mobile-friendly) is being developed, with basic reporting features already implemented
• iOS client is being actively developed by App Team Carolina
• Weekly conversations on application design
• Feedback from students affiliated with ARS and THATT
• Point people: Neha Patel, Rashika Rahman, Simon Bloor, Christine Mendoza
• Collaborative user design research
• Initial wireframes have been completed, and a basic framework for the application is in place

Acknowledgements

Thank you!

• Questions?
• Contact us!
• Organization LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/luminary-maps/
• Or, send an email to Christine: mendoza@unc.edu