CampusCompass

Inspiration

The three of us have one thing in common — we’ve all seen how new students struggle to navigate the CMU-Africa campus. During the Bridge Program, students constantly asked for directions to classrooms and offices. We also noticed how off-campus trips — like shopping or finding gyms and vendors — can be confusing due to language barriers. These everyday challenges inspired us to build a simple tool to help students find their way and connect with others.

What it does

CampusCompass helps students and visitors easily navigate around CMU-Africa and discover useful spots around Kigali. It shows the shortest routes to classrooms and facilities, indicates if public spaces like the lounge or classrooms are occupied, allows students to recommend local services, and connects users with “buddies” heading to the same destinations.

How we built it

We designed the MVP using indoor navigation APIs, Firebase for real-time data and authentication, and a Flutter-based interface for accessibility. The system can integrate with CMU Wi-Fi to automatically prompt new users to explore the app.

Challenges we ran into

Indoor navigation without GPS accuracy, managing real-time occupancy data, and ensuring privacy within a short timeline were our main challenges.

Accomplishments that we're proud of

We’re proud of turning a shared observation into a working concept that improves student experience and community connection on campus.

What we learned

We learned how to design with users in mind, balance technical feasibility with usability, and build solutions that make everyday life simpler and more inclusive.

What's next for CampusCompass

We plan to integrate with campus systems for real-time data and scale to other universities, evolving CampusCompass into a smart campus assistant across Africa.