NYC WayFinder

-An app that helps you find the nearest subway station in New York City-

The Apple iPhone might have the largest selection of apps out of call the smartphones currently on the market (around 140,000 is the current count), but it doesn't have the app that most NYC users think is the best, according to the recent NYC "Big App" Competition. That app is the NYC WayFinder, which is only available on the Android platform.

The NYC WayFinder, created by Victor Sima and Steven Lao, uses new "augmented reality" technology to help guide the user from their current position to the nearest subway station. How does it work? It layers map info, which is tied to GPS data, over the camera view of the user's phone. This allows the phone to recognize where exactly in the city the user is and gives them directions to the station that's closest to them.

When the user looks into the camera view of their phone, they will see what's actually in front of them, but the locations of the subway stations are overlayed on the display, and the phone will tell the user exactly how far they are from them, and it also updates in real time, letting the user know how much closer they are with every step. The user can also click on a station on the phone to get a written set of walking directions from where they are currently located.

You can view a video of the NYC WayFinder here.

I personally think this is a great idea. I think most people can agree that New York City can be a little daunting to navigate at times, especially if you're not familiar with the area or if it's your first time in the city overall, and this app is a great way to get "unlost" when you need to find a subway station to get somewhere else in the Big Apple. I know there have been a few times where I've needed at least a hint on how to get to the nearest subway station from wherever I am in the City but I don't have a map. Now we have this fantastic program that will show you in real time how far you are from where you need to go, and even give you direct walking directions if you want. The next step is creating an app that can do this, but with ever other location in the City that people may want to visit, and possibly other locations as well. Despite the fact that that may be a daunting task to take on, it would be a huge step in rendering personal paper maps obsolete. But even then, I'm sure the street vendors will still have the audacity to charge you $8 for a dinky little non-interactive map of the city.