New app makes campus navigation a breeze

Bethany Knipp
DAILY NEBRASKAN
Lost on campus? There's a map for that.
The University of Nebraska-Lincoln's team of web developers at University Communications has made a more user-friendly version of UNL's campus map that is powered by Google Maps.  A campus map has also been added to the application called iHusker for those with an iPhone or iPad.

The campus map that previously existed on UNL's website had several limitations. For instance, the old campus map could only be viewed by users if Macromedia Flash was installed in a browser.  Because the new campus map is powered by Google, there is no need to download a plug-in on a browser because Google uses HTML and Java Script.
Another limitation of the old map was that a user could not zoom out of UNL's campus view.  The new map allows a user to zoom out and see the context of where UNL is geographically located.

"The main reason for making the map was because of the stronger need for locating all buildings on campus," said Brett Bieber, a web programmer and analyst for UNL's Office of University Communications.

UNL's web developers Bob Crisler, Seth Meranda, Joel Brehm, Eric Rasmussen, Aaron Coleman and Bieber worked off and on for two months to get the new map up and running. They converted the old 3D map using the same data to make the new map.

Meranda, a user experience architect for University Communications, said the team combined some of their own imagery with the Google map.

The new map isn't perfect just yet, however. There are some inaccuracies due to the current construction on campus that has created new roads and new buildings that aren't on the map yet.

In the future, UNL's web developers are working to integrate the features of the map to other areas on UNL's website such as UNL's PeopleFinder and the campus directory. The team is also working to put shuttle locations and routes on the map and have the shuttles be tracked in real time so that students can estimate when a shuttle will be at a certain stop. 
"The goal is to make (the map) easier to use in all areas," Meranda said.

bethanyknipp@dailynebraskan.com