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Week 3/4 - development

 Testing Different Map Making Methods :

    So I've been going through the different map/navigation app maker sites I found to find which would be the best fit for our project, right now the main criteria is 

  • able to limit navigation to Philadelphia
  • layers showing different resource types
  • able to show route on screen, step by step
  • Major landmarks and intersections have visual aid
  • the final destination is connected to a NeRF
    The focus is on accessibility, this is an easy use emergency resource meant to help people navigate the city through landmarks


    TomTom is free (as opposed to Mapbox) however this doesn't allow for full customization. it generates a world map and lets you pick the colors and select preset levels of detail, it seems like the paid version of this unlocks more presets which is not what we are looking for. however, the general aesthetic of simplicity and the monochrome color could be useful for accessibility. no navigation ability in this version. 


    The city of Philadelphia has its own interactable map but does not come with a navigation aspect, nor can this map be downloaded/manipulated. does however mark points of interest in the manner we may need. 


    Using the suggested "no coding" route I tried Chat GPTs webdesigner, which gave me something like an ad for "navigation" as if it was a made-up company. any attempts with AI have resulted in branding and marketing rather than a functional map. 


    I did find an open-source library for interactive map-making, the issue here is I don't understand JavaScript. This site has a TON of documentation tho, step-by-step tutorials, and all kinds of info I just don't know how to use it. 


https://multimedia.journalism.berkeley.edu/tutorials/create-custom-maps-in-google-maps/#:~:text=Select%20the%20maps%20tab.,or%20by%20importing%20a%20spreadsheet.

above is a tutorial from the Berkely school of Journalism on how to use Google Maps to make your own custom map
the custom Google Map allows for preset color palettes and a full range of location mapping through drawing or importing a spreadsheet, you can export the customer map or integrate it into a website. you can create routes based on the location markers made, this tool is pretty straightforward, but in not sure if it will work later on for the 3D element.

the above is a very rough sketch I did for the website interface, it shows a proposed home-screen along with the map layout. ideally, there will be a set of resources that the user can choose from, which then take them to a map with landmarks and selected resources on it, the user then should be able to select a destination and get a 3D view of what that space looks like. 

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