Mapbox launches indoor airport maps
Åsa Forsell:
Developers can now add detailed indoor airport maps to their application using the new Mapbox airport indoor maps tileset. Designed to seamlessly connect the outdoors and indoors, the tileset helps guide travelers and airport staff through more than 200+ international airports.
The airport indoor maps tileset can be used on the web and mobile SDKs with Mapbox Standard Style, and the tileset can be enabled in Mapbox Studio or via code. Pre-styled indoor layers and UI components are ready to use, reducing the time and resources required to design and maintain indoor maps from scratch. Teams that need more control can customize map styling and interactions to match the specific needs of their product and users. They can also add their own custom layers to show their own data on the indoor maps.
There’s a long list of potential use cases, including retailers allowing people to find their shops and airports managing logistics behind the scenes. Though airlines guiding passengers through busy airports, helping them find gates, lounges or help desks, immediately springs to mind.
Airlines delay flights for lost or late passengers and manage complaints from loyalty members who cannot find amenities.
I don’t think airlines delay many flights because passengers get lost finding the correct gate. Most late passengers get lost dawdling through the duty-free shop buying things they might as well get at their destination and then proudly strolling into the aeroplane with their five bags. Not all problems can be solved with better maps.
From a passenger perspective, the most convenient solution would be to integrate airport maps into Google Maps or Apple Maps (both of which do), which most people already use for day-to-day navigation. The second best place will be airline apps. I don’t want to download a separate app for every airport I pass through.