Pathfinders Resource Conservation and Development has teamed up with the University of Iowa on a project aimed at identifying public parks and recreational spaces that are accessible to individuals with disabilities.
Pathfinders RC&D is a non-profit organization based in Fairfield, Iowa that focuses on improving the quality of life for communities by supporting environmental sustainability, economic development, and resource conservation initiatives. Initially, Pathfinders started this project. After grabbing the attention of the University of Iowa, they were able to climb on board and collaborate.
University of Iowa students and instructors have worked with Pathfinders to launch a survey, now open to the public, to identify and map accessibility across the state. The survey uses Esri software, which has a geolocation feature and allows users to pinpoint an exact location.
“The survey will allow the user to go on and select from a map the locations of whatever it is that they want to highlight, and to add whatever commentary that they want to add about that site, and then that will basically populate a database,” Senior GIS Administrator for the Department of Geographical and Sustainability Sciences, Adam Skibbe said…