NEW digital wayfinding app being piloted for the McMaster community!

This fall, McMaster’s Smart Campus approach begins to roll-out with pilot projects focused on enhancing the digital experience on campus for students and instructors alike. A new free digital wayfinding app is now available to help the McMaster community navigate around campus.

This new tool provides an accessible, step-by-step blue-dot navigation experience that helps get you from door to door on campus. Users can get from entrance to entrance for most locations and parking lots on main campus. Wayfinding beacons have also been placed throughout the learning floors of Peter George Living and Learning Centre (PGCLL).

The McMaster digital wayfinding app pilot is accessible across devices (smartphone, laptop or tablet) via website browser: https://macmaps.mcmaster.ca 

User testing is underway with future updates and enhancements planned.

If you are interested in trialing this app and providing feedback, follow these instructions:

The instructions below will help you create an icon/shortcut on your smartphone that looks just like an app and will open a web browser when you tap it.

iPhone or iPad

1. Open Safari.
2. Enter https://macmaps.mcmaster.ca/. Tap “Go.”
3. Tap the Share button on the bottom of the page.
4. Scroll down the list of options and tap “Add to Home Screen.”
5. The Add to Home Screen dialog box will appear. Click Add.
6. Safari will close automatically, and you will be taken to where the icon is located on your iPhone’s or iPad’s home screen.
7. Now when you tap this shortcut/icon, the digital wayfinding app will open in its own navigation window.

Note: If you ever decide you want to remove the website shortcut, you can delete it just like you would any other app on your phone.

Android

1. Open Chrome.
2. Enter https://macmaps.mcmaster.ca/. Tap “Go.”
3. Tap the menu icon (3 dots in upper right-hand corner) and tap Add to home screen.
4. Choose a name for website shortcut, then Chrome will add it to your home screen.

Providing feedback to the project team:

You will be able to provide feedback to help inform future enhancements directly within the app.  

About McMaster University Smart Campus

“McMaster University Smart Campus”, is an institutional effort that is working to create smart classrooms and buildings throughout campus by automating and synchronizing individual building systems. These systems include and are not limited to HVAC, air quality, security access, and AV and lighting control through class scheduling systems. This initiative will support end-to-end building and system automation linked through an application that coordinates building technologies for an optimal classroom experience.

McMaster’s Smart Campus approach is a compelling path to a more digitized and innovative future and is focused on creating a sustainable and equitable future through digital spaces and ‘smart campus’ initiatives.

Smart Campus is a truly collaborative effort involving teams from across the institution including Facility Services, University Technology Services (UTS),Campus Security, Campus Classroom Technologies (Library Services), Office of the Registrar, DeGroote School of Business (DSB) and others.