This post is also available in: German
The idea in 1 minute:
What is Wheelmap?
Wheelmap is a map for wheelchair accessible locations. On wheelmap.org you can find out if a location is accessible or not and are also be able to tag locations yourself.
Where do you get the location data from?
All location data comes from Openstreetmap, the biggest user-generated mapping project of the world. Think wikipedia for maps. Everybody is welcome to contribute.
What technology has been used to delevop wheelmap?
The project uses the Openstreetmap API to retrieve (and in the future also save) accessibility data. The website has been developed using Ruby on Rails.
Is Wheelmap open source?
Currently the source code isn’t open source. But we’re thinking about doing that in the future.
I have a similar project, can we cooperate?
For sure! If you also use Openstreetmap we’re already sharing all location data with you. If you want to help us develop wheelmap.org, fork us on github. Anything else? Just contact us!
Who is behind wheelmap?
Wheelmap is an initiative of “Sozialhelden e.V.“, a German non-profit association.
Are you planning for your site to be global?
Yes, since openstreetmap is a global project, the data of the whole world is on the map already. We also plan to make wheelmap multilingual. We are looking for regional ambassadors who also want to promote wheelchair accessibility through transparency. Contact us if you want to help!
Do you plan on letting people post specific information about accessibility?
Yes, we will use a wheelchair description field which has been approved by openstreetmap.
Is wheelmap intended to address just wheelchair accessibility, or might you also cover access for people with vision or hearing impairments etc?
We want to concentrate on wheelchair accessibility because we believe that blind and deaf people need different solutions and we should not put them in the same box. Nevertheless we believe that the source code of wheelmap could be developed further to meet those needs.
Do you have an iPhone app?
Yes, several actually. You can use iLOE or Mapzen POI collector to tag places and use Leisure to find out about the wheelchair accessible status of places around you. And since the openstreetmap community is growing, expect more to come.
What conventions do you use to tag places?
We use those which are approved by the openstreetmap community. See OSM-Wiki about the wheelchair tag. Simply put, it’s “yes” (fully accessible), “limited” (partly accessible, e.g. no access to toilet) and “no” (not accessible). In the wheelchair:description tag we plan to store additional information about the accessibility.
I have another question!
Contact us
I have suggestions
We are happy to hear your ideas in the feedback forum (no login required) where you can also read what other people suggested.
