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PORTLAND, Ore. (Nov. 7, 2023) -- After a successful pilot program, Portland International Airport has expanded its partnership with GoodMaps to help travelers with different needs safely and confidently navigate PDX. GoodMaps provides people who are blind and low vision, deaf and hard of hearing, mobility impaired, or neurodiverse with audio-visual guidance of indoor spaces. Anyone traveling at PDX can use the app to help find their gate, along with restrooms, food options and retail outlets, water fountains and charging stations.

"PDX is a place for everyone. Our Accessibility Committee helps us introduce new programs and technology like GoodMaps that can make our airport even more inclusive," said Steve Nagy, director of airport operations at the Port of Portland. "Since we rolled out the app, we’ve received really positive feedback from committee members and passengers and are proud to be extending our partnership with GoodMaps to offer more coverage."

An earlier version of the app, GoodMaps Explore, first launched at PDX in January 2023 to guide travelers through the airport’s ticket lobby, baggage claim, and Concourse E. Now, travelers at PDX can download the free iOS or Android app and experience the following improvements:

• Navigation of all four concourses at PDX—B, C, D and E—as well as the ticket lobby and baggage claim. Areas of the terminal currently being remodeled or developed will be mapped or re-mapped as they open.
• An Augmented Reality (AR) view that offers users a new visual experience alongside 2D maps of PDX.
• An improved "Step Free" feature that provides users with mobility impairments an option for a step-free route through the airport.

GoodMaps uses LiDAR mapping technology and camera-based positioning to pinpoint a user’s location down to three feet of accuracy--with no additional hardware.

"Having GoodMaps at PDX opens up more possibilities for how I can travel and it’s great timing to have this update available now" said Pete De Vasto, member of the Port of Portland’s Accessibility Committee and traveler with total blindness. "The holiday season might be the one time of year that people with vision or hearing impairment travel and, with passengers encouraged to get to the airport even earlier during peak times, the app can help them locate the nearest restaurant or restroom and get back to their gate without assistance. Also, anyone arriving at PDX can use the app to find baggage claim or ground transportation. It’s truly a game changer."

PDX launched GoodMaps with the support and guidance of the Port of Portland’s Accessibility Committee—which includes representatives from the Open Doors Organization, Oregon Commission for the Blind, Portland State University, Western Oregon University and the Washington State School for the Blind—and airline partners. PDX was the second airport to implement GoodMaps and has since been sharing the experience to help bring the technology to more airports.

For additional information about Accessibility at Portland International Airport, visit www.FlyPDX.com/accessibility.

About the Port of Portland
With three airports, four marine terminals, and five business parks, the Port of Portland is an economic engine for transforming the region into a place where everyone is welcome, empowered, and connected to the opportunity to find a good job or grow their business. The Port works to pull down barriers and provide access to people and local businesses who have been left out of the region’s economic growth—including people of color, low-income workers, and people with disabilities. Collectively, the Port leads big projects in the region, including expanding PDX airport and making it more accessible and efficient; transforming a former marine terminal into a site for innovation in the housing construction and mass timber industries; and providing more options for Pacific Northwest businesses to send their products around the world. For more information, visit www.PortofPortland.com.

About GoodMaps
GoodMaps is an indoor mapping and digital navigation company providing a scalable and infrastructure-free multimodal wayfinding solution. GoodMaps' mission is to make the world's indoor spaces more inclusive, interactive, and joyful for all by offering indoor navigation that enables everyone the freedom and autonomy to discover the world around them. To learn more about GoodMaps, visit www.GoodMaps.com.