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Current GPS systems only work when the user is outdoors. After entering a large space, such as a shopping mall or a high rise building, visitors rely on local signage. As a result, most people get lost at some point in their travels. Buzzstreets is a new door-to-door navigation system that works indoors and outdoors. Designed specifically to help venues, businesses and cities to guide visitors around their space, Buzzstreets is a B2B mapping platform. The Buzzstreets team works directly with a diverse range of organizations such as hospital trusts, airports and retail venues. This creates a completely bespoke app for each location. The Buzzstreets app captures data including footfall and shares real-time, relevant, contextual marketing.

The app works in addition to existing navigation services or alone, as needed. If local art is available, additional information for curious viewers is viewable via the app. In a hospital, the app directs visitors straight to their family member’s bedside. Retailers can also use the app to provide personalized discounts to visitors in real-time. The testing of the prototype has taken place in London’s Canary Wharf area and is still in development. Additions and improvements include voice activation and directions for additional accessibility. The company is currently crowdfunding on Seedrs and offering 12.5 percent equity to investors.

In general, communities are now more mobile than ever, and technology is both assisting and driving this change. A voice navigation app developed by university students creates personalized routes and alerts for blind students. A new type of hands-free accessibility is now available with the development of a washable, electronic-free fabric that unlocks doors and stores passwords. What other stumbling blocks could be reduced through the application of new technologies?