The St. John’s downtown pedestrian mall is open for the summer season, and a new app has been launched to help those with vision loss navigate it safely.
BlindSquare is an iPhone app that has been launched by the city, in collaboration with CNIB Frontier Accessibility.
How does it work?
BlindSquare uses GPS and the compass to locate you. It then gathers information about the surrounding environment from FourSquare. BlindSquare has some unique algorithms to decide what information is the most relevant and then speaks it to you with high quality speech synthesis.
How much does the app cost to the city?
The app cost the city $9,000 in 2021 and this year for its preparation and launch and will cost $2,100 for its use in future years.
How much impact will the use of this app have for blind and partially sighted pedestrians?
The app uses GPS technology to estimate the proximity of things such as sidewalk curb cuts, parklets and public seating, it also provides detailed information to help people get around safely. The app can give step-by-step directions, giving users more comfort when visiting the Pedestrian Mall.
