[gps-talkusers] Re: GPS for blind people
- From: "Stanislaw Ambroszkiewicz" <sambrosz@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: gps-talkusers@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Sat, 5 Jun 2004 13:22:55 +0200 (CEST)
Hello,
There are also some academic projects on this subject,
for example:
Wayfinding Group, http://www.senderogroup.com/wayfinding
NOPPA, http://www.vtt.fi/tuo/53/projektit/noppa/noppaeng.htm
and the ongoing project at the University of Podlasie in Poland,
called Blind-enT, http://ii4.ap.siedlce.pl
Short overview of the Blind-enT:
The claim is that blind persons can perceive objects
like door, pillar, ditch, elevator, passage, room, hall,
building, street, etc., having only mobile cellular phones.
The primary goal of all positioning systems is to determine
the user's position as precisely as possible, whereas
the main purpose of the project is to provide a blind person
with the ability to locate an object and then to perceive
it by getting to know its attributes. This permits area
familiarization and route planning. Object position may be
one of the attributes. Once a blind person identifies an
object (by being close to it), she/he can get to know
her/his position from the object attributes.
It is interesting that the position is not so important
also for sighted persons; the position is usually relative
and can be derived from perceiving orientation points
(e.g., interesting objects) that have already been
remembered.
The crucial assumption of our project is that objects
can be located (identified) using IrDA connectivity.
This means that in order to be located an object must
have an infrared transceiver (a standard IrDA controller)
that transmits data (to a mobile) containing the object's
identifier and the azimuth of the infrared message beam
and, if it is necessary the current values of some of
its attributes. Given the object's identifier, the complete
object description can be downloaded from a local or
global repository via Bluetooth, or/and GPRS connectivity
of a mobile. It is important to note that, unlike
Talking Signs, the description is not in a voice format.
It is expressed in terms of generic attributes and
types so that it can be processed automatically.
Only the result of such processing is delivered to a
blind user as voice.
The most important point of the project is generic
object representation (that gives rise to develop object
oriented approach for representing geospatial data),
and routing algorithms for determining
safe and short paths between objects.
Best regards,
Stanislaw
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Ahmed" <liiworld@xxxxxxxxxxxx>
> To: <gps-talkusers@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
> Sent: Wednesday, June 02, 2004 9:21 AM
> Subject: [gps-talkusers] GPS for blind people
>
>
> > Hi everyone!
> > First of all I am a blind student in UK and I am about to do a
research
> for GPS for blind people as part of my study! I have got a few
questions
> about GPS for blind people which I would like to get some information
about
> various accessible GPS for visually impaired people in general!
> >
> > First of all, currently I know there is a BrailleNote GPS for blind
people
> but as you may know clearly the cost of the BrailleNote is quite
expensive
> in general! In addition to that I only know about BrailleNote GPS
and I
> would like to get more information if there are any other GPS that
specially
> adapted for the need of visually impaired?
> >
> > However, there was A new handheld GPS navigation tool for the blind
people
> developed and tested in a pilot project in Spain. The project
combines two
> new technologies to improve positioning.
> > The first is the European Space Agency's (Esa) EGNOS system, which
> corrects GPS
> > signals to an accuracy of five metres by broadcasting augmentation
> signals. &The second new technology is SisNet, which relays the
corrected
> GPS signals in
> > real time over wireless networks. SisNet is developed by the
Spanish
> company GMV Sistemas, who already make a handheld navigator for the
blind
> called Tormes.
> >
> > Therefore I was wondering if someone has heard of the above project?
> > If yes has someone tried its accuracy?
> > I look eagerly to your replies
> >
> > Thanks in advance as always!
> >
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