Interactive Campus Maps

#Digital#Programming

Building a campus

In 2026, I took charge to develop a platform to bring the campus maps for Whitireia and WelTec right into the present. Having a flat, 2d, locked-in, paper-based campus map across three different campuses, with differing levels at each, was an archaic way to display information, and held ākonga back from finding the info they need when they needed it.

Using Mapbox, the maps are built in Open Street Maps (OSM) software, exported to geojson files, which are read by an entirely custom back and front-end solution. There have been other OSM-based solutions for indoor mapping, but these looked tired and relied on outdated versions of OSM or Mapbox. Maintaining and being stuck with and old solution and provider just didn’t sit right. Other modern alternatives exist, but are costly and therefore weren’t an option for Whitireia and WelTec.

I devised a solution that would be nimble, easy-to-update, multi-department-enabled, with a focus on being present, but not too overstimulating; beautiful, but functional; browser-based and device agnostic.

Over a few months, I worked to get custom geojson files to display in a Mapbox instance, to acheiving multi-level support. Getting multiple buildings rendering and with colour distinctions for each, to labels and icons per-level. Cutting down from having every point be a floating 3D icon, to having architecural-inspired floorplan iconography, and custom app routing to support multiple campuses, all in one setup.

All custom solutions to make an easy-to-navigate and easy-to-interpret campus map, to help better the interaction for our ākonga. I’m pretty happy with the result.