Revised set of tools published – CAP4Access e-Newsletter No. 4, May 2016

Thought up initially by CAP4Access partner Sozialhelden e.V. from Berlin, the Wheelmap allows users to find wheelchair-accessible places on an interactive map covering the whole world. If the accessibility of a place has not been reviewed yet, users are invited to tag places themselves. Wheelmap is available for Android, Windows10 and IOS-powered mobile devices as well as for personal computers. In 2015, Wheelmap was further developed by adding a feature for tagging and displaying the availability of an accessible toilet within buildings intended for the public. The search interface has been enhanced to allow people to look for accessible toilets in the vicinity of their current location. In addition, Wheelmap can now also be included as a widget on third parties’ websites. Check it out here.

OpenRouteService, developed by Heidelberg University’s GIScience unit, offers routing services by using user-generated, collaboratively collected free geographic data from OpenStreetMap (OSM). Within CAP4Access, OpenRouteService has been extended to allow for wheelchair routing, i.e. routing where important properties for people with reduced mobility are taken into account. These properties include avoiding steps, the specification of maximum values for slope and curb height, and the selection of preferred surface material to traverse. Check it out here.

The Wheelchair Navigation App is an Android navigation tool that makes use of the wheelchair routing provided by the OpenRouteService to navigate a person from their current location to a desired destination. This destination can be selected from Wheelmap locations, local public toilets, or can simply be searched for within the app. Not only does it provide routes that aim to be suitable for wheelchair users based on accessibility related preferences entered by the user, it also delivers instructions in a format that is easier for pedestrians to understand by making use of local landmarks within the instructions. Check it out here.

Activists who use Wheelmap to tag places, for instance in the context of a “mapping party”, are eager to learn about their contributions to accessibility mapping of a city or area. Likewise, policy-makers may want to compare their city to others in terms of the ratio of accessible to inaccessible places. For these purposes, CAP4Access together with end users has developed visualisation tools with which accessibility information on OpenStreetMap can be tracked and compared. The Dashobard facilitates the browsing of Wheelmap tags and provides aggregate information. Given the visible extent of the map, statistical diagrams and specific aggregate icons on the map will show, for example, the overall number of Wheelmap-tagged objects, and the overall or relative number of red (object not accessible), green (object accessible), orange (object partially accessible) and grey (object not yet evaluated) tags. For more information, click here.

Mobility-impaired pedestrians, such as wheelchair users or people with walking frames or rolling walkers, have needs that differ significantly from car drivers and non-impaired pedestrians with regard to information about the built environment. This is due to their limited physical abilities when it comes to e.g. taking one or more steps, mastering slopes up- or downwards, or navigating on a narrow sidewalk. CAP4Access has developed Kerb Data Integrator as a process for converting data available from public sources (e.g. city administrations) into a format which allows integration with OpenStreetMap. Once integration has been achieved, data about dropped kerbs and other accessibility related features can be utilised by the routing and navigation algorithms used by other CAP4Access tools (see above). For more information, click here.

The Tagging App is the tool that allows you to tag an obstacle as you are moving around. It is available for the Android platform. The app requires an internet connection to upload tagged obstacles to the viewer and to download base maps for the area users are travelling in. Download the App and find out more here. The Obstacle Viewer component of the Obstacle Tagging Service is the primary location for people to view the obstacles recorded by others. Not only can they view the obstacles and corresponding description and imagery, they can also view local MapillaryTM imagery alongside the obstacles in the area. You can view the web interface for the tool here.

The MyAccessibleEU Obstacle Mapper runs on Android devices and can be used in locations where there is no mobile network connection. It allows people to document obstacles that they encounter that may pose problems for people with restricted mobility. Potential barriers can be mapped via both the mobile app and the mapping interface which let people record a textual description of the obstacle in question, where it is located, whether it is permanent in nature, and also to take or upload a photo so that people can actually see what the obstacle looks like. Check out the online map here.

A major challenge for use of accessibility information tools such as the routing and navigation apps developed by CAP4Access is data availability on OpenStreetMap. For this reason, there is a need for a service that allows experts to assess the quality (in particular completeness) of data available on OSM. To meet this demand, Heidelberg University’s OSMatrix tool has been extended significantly both on its client- and server-side. It can now be used to display OSM statistics such as the degree of coverage of information relevant for accessibility (e.g. availability of sidewalks) in a hexagonal net on top of a geographical map. Check it out here.

MapMyDay, an awareness raising campaign launched on 2015’s International Day of Persons with Disabilities, has a twofold purpose – first to gather as much information on the wheelchair accessibility of places worldwide in a short period of time and second to raise awareness for accessibility issues among a broad, global audience. The tools deployed for the purpose include a website featuring a localisable map, a social wall displaying all social media posts using the #MapMyDay hashtag, and a long list of testimonials in advert-style from prominent supporters. The MapMyDay platform will be used for future campaigns to be scheduled around the International Day of Persons with Disabilities (December 3rd). Check it out here.