We collaborated on the launch this past week of the Autour app out of McGill University. Developed by Jeremy Cooperstock, Director of the Shared Reality Lab at McGill, the app helps visually impaired users navigate their cities with audio cues. The app draws information from GPS, Google Maps, Foursquare, transit data, and other sources, to help provide context and information about a user’s surroundings.
In my role here at CIRA I get the pleasure of meeting with project leaders from our Community Investment Program, learning about what they do, and helping them to tell their stories and explain their work. We fund some fascinating work, by some truly inspiring people and this week we have a perfect example.
We collaborated on the launch this past week of the Autour app out of McGill University. Developed by Jeremy Cooperstock, Director of the Shared Reality Lab at McGill, the app helps visually impaired users navigate their cities with audio cues. The app draws information from GPS, Google Maps, Foursquare, transit data, and other sources, to help provide context and information about a user’s surroundings.
We’re super proud that Jeremy and Autour were featured on CTV national news, helping them spread the word that Autour is now available in cities across the country. Check out the clip below and see Autour in action on the streets on Montreal.
Congrats on the launch!
Ryan Saxby Hill is an expert in communications and digital marketing. He is served as the communications manager at CIRA from 2014-2017. Previously, Ryan led media relations and online engagement efforts at the Canada Foundation for Innovation and has held positions handling global communications and PR programs for Ciena Corporation and Nortel Networks.
Ryan is a founder of Apartment613, an award winning Ottawa-based digital community media organization and serves on the board of directors for the Centretown Citizens Ottawa Corporation, one of Canada’s most innovative non-profit housing providers.
