Context-Aware Inclusive Navigation System

We are building a navigation app for the GTA that helps you find routes based on accessibility, safety, and personal preferences.

What This Does

Most navigation apps just give you the shortest route. But what if you're in a wheelchair and need to avoid stairs? Or walking home late at night and want well-lit streets? Or you need to stay close to hospitals?

This app considers:

• Wheelchair accessibility - curb cuts, ramps, surface quality
• Safety - crime rates, street lighting (especially for night routes)
• Construction zones - avoid noisy/blocked areas
• Nearby services - hospitals, convenience stores, etc.

We're building this for the Greater Toronto Area using open data from the city.

Team

Name	Role	Email
Arshia Feizmohammady	Backend Lead, Algorithm Design	arshia.feizmohammady@mail.utoronto.ca
Thomas (Jigao) Wang	Backend & Integration Co-Lead	jigao.wang@mail.utoronto.ca
Andrew Yin	Backend, Algorithm Design	realandrew.yin@mail.utoronto.ca
Simon Zhu	Backend, Algorithm	simon.zhu@mail.utoronto.ca
Hamad Almheiri	Frontend Lead	h.almheiri@mail.utoronto.ca
Dooyeon (Dunny) Yeom	Frontend, Project Manager	dooyeon.yeom@mail.utoronto.ca
Ivan Musuba	Frontend	ivan.musuba@mail.utoronto.ca
Maria Chzhen	Backend & Integration Co-Lead, Frontend, Algorithm Design	maria.chzhen@mail.utoronto.ca

Tech Stack

• Backend: Java + Spring Boot
• Database: H2 (embedded)
• Frontend: Appsmith (self-hosted) + Leaflet.js for maps
• Routing Algorithm: A* with custom edge weights
• Map Data: OpenStreetMap
• Deployment: Docker

Repo Structure

├── backend/          # Java Spring Boot app
├── frontend/         # Appsmith stuff
├── data/             # Raw data + processing scripts
└── docs/             # ER diagrams, API docs, etc.

Who's Working on What

Task	Lead	Also Working On It	Where in Repo
Data Sourcing	Arshia	Andrew, Simon, Maria	data/
Graph Setup	Andrew	Arshia, Simon, Maria	backend/.../algorithm/
A* Algorithm	Maria	Andrew, Arshia, Simon	backend/.../algorithm/AStarRouter.java
Data Modeling (ER, UML)	Arshia	Thomas	docs/, backend/.../model/
Database Implementation	Thomas	Arshia, Andrew	backend/.../repository/
REST API	Simon	Thomas	backend/.../controller/, backend/.../service/
Appsmith Layout	Dooyeon	Ivan	frontend/appsmith/
Map Integration	Hamad	Ivan	frontend/appsmith/
Logic and States	Maria	Dooyeon	frontend/appsmith/
API Integration	Thomas	Everyone	-
Testing + Docker	Everyone	-	docker-compose.yml

How to Run

Backend

cd backend
./mvnw spring-boot:run

The API will be at http://localhost:8080

Frontend (Appsmith)

docker-compose up appsmith

Then go to http://localhost:80

Everything at Once

docker-compose up

Data Sources

We're using open data from:

• Toronto Open Data - crime stats, street lights, construction
• Toronto Police Open Data - crime data
• OpenStreetMap - base map, POIs, accessibility info

OSM data for Ontario: Geofabrik Download

API Endpoints

Method	Endpoint	What it does
POST	/api/route	Calculate a route with preferences
GET	/api/preferences	Get default preference values
GET	/api/pois	Get nearby points of interest

More details in docs/API_Documentation.md (once we write it).

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MIE350 - Group 2