Architecture major and GIS Research Laboratory researcher Winston Kahn took home Special Recognition for “Outstanding Contribution to the USC Community” for an online mapping tool that produces wheelchair-friendly routes between buildings on the USC campus.
The award was given for Kahn’s submittal to Webfest 2012, an annual competition for excellence in media design for undergraduates. Development of the tool was supervised by GIS Research Laboratory Associate Director Dr. Dan Goldberg as part of a collaboration with USC Facilities Management Services.
Kahn integrated data about locations of curb cuts, ramp locations, door characteristics, and stairs to create a network of routes on the University Park Campus that can be traversed without abrupt grade changes. He then transferred the data from CAD to ArcGIS and set up a map server and website with a user interface.
Users can now enter any two building names on campus and the tool will provide an accessible path between them.
Kahn will continue his work with the GIS Research Laboratory in summer 2012 to develop a mobile phone platform for the campus accessibility tool.
