About

Geoaccess.org is about fostering more accessible travel, transportation, and tourism by applying geo-data: detailed information about locations and their features that can help travelers plan, navigate, and manage better.

This project was initiated during the 20th Anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act in July 2010, when the White House partnered with the Federal Communications Commission and the Department of Commerce's National Telecommunication and Information Administration to facilitate a brainstorming session on innovative uses of the Internet to increase accessibility. This session is described in a White House Blog post, “The Power of Technology, The Power of Equality” by Kareem Dale and Scott Deutchman. That discussion led to a 90-day challenge to the participants to collaborate, which we took up and executed. The collaborative produced a report that reviews the market context and existing research, analyzes geo-data requirements for improved accessibility, makes policy recommendations, and describes a proof-of-concept that combines data from different sources.

We look forward to a lively dialogue about these topics.