Communications of the ACM
Mobile Phone Navigation Service for Older People--Gets Them There Step by Step
A new mobile-phone navigation service promises to guide older people using public transportation to their destination.
Credit: VTT Technical Research Center
A new mobile-phone navigation service developed by researchers at the VTT Technical Research Center of Finland promises to guide older people using public transportation to their destination, even when lost in a strange town.
The service differs from standard public transport applications by offering continuous guidance during the journey, walking directions to stops and addresses, and timetables and real-time information.
The VTT researchers developed the application along with other participants in the European Aiding SuStainable Independent Senior TrAvellers to Navigate in Towns (ASSISTANT) project.
ASSISTANT users create a profile on the service's website, add a contact person, and then plan their journeys by entering the departure and arrival addresses and the preferred time. The system creates a suitable travel plan based on public transportation timetables, which is sent to the user's smartphone. When problems occur, the system can guide the user back onto the correct route.
The researchers say the service, which also supports voice navigation, could be available by 2017.
From VTT Technical Research Center
View Full Article
Abstracts Copyright © 2015 Information Inc., Bethesda, Maryland, USA
No entries found