Jurong indoor map suggests barrier-free routes for disabled, guides blind people with audio cues

SINGAPORE – Visitors to Jurong can now use an indoor mapping mobile app that guides users through a network of linked malls and hospitals, including Jem and Ng Teng Fong General Hospital.

Like an indoor version of Google Maps, the CitiGeni app suggests directions to stores or facilities within the mall and hospital network, highlighting the shortest paths and even barrier-free routes for users with disabilities.

The app also includes an alternative mode designed to assist visually impaired users, guiding them with audible blips as they move through the mall.

Available on Android and iOS, the free service, which was released to the public on Oct 23, is part of a collaboration between Hong Kong navigation tech start-up Mapxus and the National University Health System (NUHS) to help users, especially those with disabilities, navigate indoors.

The CitiGeni app’s services will officially expand to Jem and other locations in January 2025.

Believed to be a first for Singapore, the app uses unique mapping technology to match Wi-Fi beacon codes with a map, simplifying indoor mapping for venues without requiring new hardware.

It is designed to guide users through different levels of an indoor location, unlike most navigation apps that can pinpoint a user’s location from a bird’s-eye view but not the exact floor within a building.

For example, in Jurong East, shopping malls like Jem and Westgate, as well as the nearby hospitals, are connected by bridges with access points that may not be immediately clear to new visitors.

The app complements the work of hospital staff in escorting individuals between the hospitals’ facilities, said NUHS chief operating officer Ng Kian Swan in reply to queries from The Straits Times.

“The initial deployment covers public areas within the hospital that do not require registration, allowing easy access for all visitors,” said Mr Ng, adding that the service specifically targets wheelchair users and people who are blind.

“We are also evaluating the possibility of extending coverage to (hospital wards) in the future to support even more comprehensive indoor navigation,” said Mr Ng, who oversees the healthcare group’s facilities management.

Founded in 2018, Mapxus is among companies under the Infocomm Media Development Authority’s Spark program, which supports start-ups through industry connections or grants.

Mapxus’ technology, which has been used in transport networks and more than 150 buildings in Hong Kong, was among the winners in the Jurong Lake District Innovation Challenge in 2023, where participating teams urban proposed solutions for challenges issued by the hospitals and other stakeholders like SMRT and CapitaLand.

Explaining Mapxus’ technology, the company’s business development head Joseph Yi said the user’s position is determined through the phone, which detects the unique signals from Wi-Fi beacons within an indoor location.

The app does not require logging into the premises’ Wi-Fi network and collects only non-sensitive data from the Wi-Fi beacon’s code and signal strength, which are cross-referenced with a blueprint of the premises to identify users’ locations, said Mr Yi, 39.