For Bedford resident Cardale Bradfield, frequent travel provided the inspiration for an idea. After navigating airports during trips to destinations including England and France, Bradfield saw an opportunity to make finding your way through an airport simpler for travelers.
The result is AirportGo, a free mobile app designed to provide indoor navigation at Cleveland Hopkins International Airport.
Bradfield, who is originally from Akron, has lived in Bedford for about 10 years near Glendale Elementary School. He said his own difficulty navigating airports helped inspire the idea for AirportGo.
The app allows travelers to search for locations throughout Cleveland Hopkins Airport and receive walking directions from one point in the airport to another. Users can find gates, restaurants, restrooms, baggage claim areas, TSA checkpoints and other destinations while also seeing estimated walking times.
AirportGo does not require users to create an account. Travelers can download the app for free through Google Play or Apple’s App Store, open the airport map and either search for a destination or explore the map themselves. After selecting a starting point and destination, the app provides directions between the two locations.
One of AirportGo’s distinguishing features is that its navigation can work without an internet connection.
Bradfield said airport Wi-Fi can become slow when large numbers of travelers are using it, making offline functionality important. AirportGo instead relies on information stored within the app and a built-in algorithm that calculates routes using a mapped network of the airport.
Creating that network required more than sitting behind a computer.
Bradfield compared information from multiple online airport maps and Google Maps, but he also made four trips to Cleveland Hopkins to personally check the accuracy of the information. He plans to return approximately once each quarter to identify changes and keep AirportGo’s map current.
Bradfield developed the first version of AirportGo himself over approximately 10 months, using artificial intelligence tools to assist with the development process.
Now, the project is growing.
A team is currently working with Bradfield to develop AirportGo navigation for John Glenn Columbus International Airport. Bradfield said the Columbus version is expected to be completed in September and that the development process is moving much faster as he trains team members in the airport-mapping process.
Orlando or Chicago could be among the airports considered next. His larger goal is ambitious: within the next three to five years, Bradfield hopes AirportGo will cover all major airports in the United States.
Closer to home, Bradfield said four hotels near Cleveland Hopkins Airport are already supporting AirportGo by displaying QR codes that allow guests to download the app.
Additional features are also in development. Bradfield is working to add accessibility information for Cleveland Hopkins Airport and hopes that information will be available within the coming weeks.
What began with one Bedford resident recognizing a common challenge for air travelers could eventually become a navigation tool for passengers across the country.
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