A recent Carleton University graduate developed an app to help people navigate the school’s vast tunnel system.
Didi Ogbowu, a former computer systems engineering student, launched the navigation tool in September. The app, called LabNav, has garnered more than 80 downloads so far.
Ogbowu said he hopes his app helps people get around campus more efficiently.
“The ultimate goal of LabNav is just to provide more information and hopefully make life easier for people using the tunnels,” Ogbowu said.
The app’s colourful home page allows users to enter their current location on campus and their desired destination. It then provides large pictures and concise directions to assist users in getting where they want to go.
LabNav’s name is inspired by the words “labyrinth” and “navigation,” referring to how the university’s five kilometres of tunnels often feel like one big maze, Ogbowu said.
Zahra Qadri, a first-year civil engineering student, said she thinks LabNav could be helpful for students that are new to the campus.
“The tunnels are all so confusing and pretty difficult to get around,” she said. “I think especially in the wintertime when everyone wants to go through the tunnels, [LabNav] would really help people out.”
The tool could be particularly handy at the start of each semester, said second-year journalism student Jake Steele.
“At the start of the new semester when I really don’t know where I’m going day in and day out, an app would make it really easy for me to navigate through those tunnels,” Steele said.
For Ogbowu, LabNav was the final product of many app ideas he considered.
Ogbowu said he was initially fascinated by the technology behind Ottawa’s transportation apps and how it could be improved. He also considered making an app dedicated to navigating the notoriously confusing Mackenzie Building.
After some deliberation, Ogbowu decided to create LabNav to impact the broader campus community.
“I wanted to do something for all of campus, and the tunnels are well-known and have more coverage,” he said.
In 2019, a Carleton student worked with the university on a pilot program for a GPS-like app to help people navigate the tunnels through verbal directions and a reference map. The app was discontinued after the pilot program ended, leaving a void until LabNav’s creation.
Ogbowu wants to improve the app by adding a news bar with information on tunnel closures and more details on tunnel amenities. He’s also banking on receiving more input from LabNav’s feedback tool for future improvements.
In the meantime, Ogbowu hopes LabNav will make a difference in the lives of Carleton students.
“When I tell people about the app and they can get to class a little bit easier than they would have otherwise, that makes me happy,” he said. “It makes me feel like I’m helping people.”
Featured image by Michael McBean.
