Carnegie Mellon University Website Home Page
Directories    |    News    |    Calendar    |    Libraries    |    Careers    |    Giving

TrailBehind.com

A Step Ahead

Trails

Andrew Johnson (TPR '03) discovered a passion for hiking after moving to the West Coast. But before they could get outside he and his girlfriend, Anna Hentzel, spent countless hours indoors and online — searching for fragmented trip information. Frustrated, the pair hit on an idea — developing a Wiki-style website and Facebook application dedicated to trail mapping.

Their creation, TrailBehind, was recently awarded a new $25,000 Facebook fbFund grant. They were among just 25 application developers chosen from a pool of 600 hopefuls.

TrailBehind is working to create complete (and free) maps of wilderness areas by aggregating existing Internet data with new trail information uploaded from site users. These "social maps" will also offer users the additional opportunity to share their own experiences and advice, from child-friendly areas to trail opinions.

As Johnson explained, "A map is not just a picture. It leads to the experiences you want, the sites you want to see. Our maps have to lead to what you want."

Johnson's love for hiking intensified his appreciation for the outdoors and the need to preserve it. "I came to realize that my actions have an impact," he said. "Being out there has influenced me to treat nature more carefully."

Not surprisingly, Johnson and Hentzel hope to become more environmentally active as their company grows.

"I think that environmentalism will always influence our decisions," Johnson said. "Hopefully we'll be able to create corporate programs where we can [make an] impact."

His time at Carnegie Mellon provided Johnson with both an educational background and valuable, lifelong connections. After graduation, he worked for an ad agency run by two alumni and his clients included three alumni startups. He joined one, and his former boss is now TrailBehind's board chairman. Three former classmates work as part-time TrailBehind developers and advisors.

"Carnegie Mellon has absolutely helped me," Johnson said. "All of my education, what I learned at business school and as an engineer, has definitely had a bearing on all the jobs I've had. My contacts have definitely helped. The Carnegie Mellon network is very strong ... from the professors you meet to the friends of friends."

Related Links: TrailBehind  |  TrailBehind's Facebook App  |  Map of Allegheny National Forest  |  Tepper School

get the RSS feedAddThis Social Bookmark Buttonsubmit storyview archives