ways2see

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

ways2see is a GIS -based, barrier-free accessible information platform for people with visual impairment or blindness, which is used to prepare routes.

background

The web application ways2see was created as part of a research project of the same name by the Institute for Geography and Spatial Research at the Karl-Franzens University of Graz . The development took place in cooperation with the Odilien-Blindeninstitut as well as the SynerGIS Informationssysteme GmbH, as Austrian ESRI distributor. The project was funded by the Austrian Research Promotion Agency .

Before and during the technical implementation of the platform, the needs of the potential users were collected and evaluated by means of interviews and workshops. An Austria-wide survey on the subject of mobility of people with visual impairment or blindness was also carried out using a short online questionnaire. In the further course of development, a living lab was set up for quality assurance , where users could test the application in advance in order to contribute to further optimization.

description

The digital information platform ways2see is designed for people with visual impairment or blindness, as well as their companions and is used for planning unknown routes in advance. According to the developer, this is a preparation tool with a map service, not a navigation system. The detailed directions contain additional information relevant to the user about the type and surface of the path, intersection situations, boundaries and potential obstacles.

A map specially adapted to the needs of the user is intended to help people with visual impairment find their way around. This uses particularly high-contrast colors and easy-to-read symbols. The colors yellow and blue are particularly easy to distinguish for many people with self-disabilities, which means that legibility is retained even when the display is inverted. Aesthetics are not in the foreground and are neglected in favor of usability.

The entire platform can be operated using a screen reader (screen reading application) and has been specially optimized for NVDA and JAWS.

Widgets

The platform includes five different widgets that offer different functions.

Directions

This widget allows you to get directions from a starting point to a destination. A route can be determined either by entering the desired addresses or by clicking on the map. After calling up the route, a detailed step-by-step description of the individual route sections appears. In addition to directions, barriers, information and distances are also given. It is also possible to export the directions as a text file or to print them out directly.

Next facility

With "Nearest facility", nearby points of interest can be found and selected as destinations for the route description. The application searches within a radius of 500 m around the entered start address. Results are then listed according to facility categories. Within these categories, in turn, they are ranked according to distance, based on the starting point.

Map display

This widget can be used to show and hide elements (notes and other information) on the map. The individual elements are shown on the map using various symbols. The icons differ in their graphic design and color.

Settings

The profile used can be changed within the settings. Furthermore, when selecting profile 4, a specific selection of the displayed information can be made.

technology

The application was implemented using geographic information systems from ESRI . Above all, the Web-AppBuilder for ArcGIS was used and adapted for this .

A completely new feature is the information output with regard to sidewalks, where a distinction is made between the left and right side of the street. As a result, a direction-appropriate route description can be generated, which also outputs information on delimitations (e.g. house wall on the left, fence on the right). This pavement network was created on the basis of open government data in connection with data on pavement use and surfaces that were specifically mapped for the entire city of Graz.

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Background - Our motivation for ways2see. at ways2see.at. Retrieved April 4, 2018.
  2. ↑ "Equal Mobility" survey. Self-determined life in Styria. Retrieved April 4, 2018.
  3. ↑ Survey on equal mobility. Association of the Blind and Visually Impaired Austria. Retrieved April 4, 2018.
  4. ↑ User needs ". At ways2see.at. Retrieved on April 4, 2018.
  5. ↑ project goal. at ways2see.at. Retrieved March 12, 2018.
  6. ↑ Graz: New platform "ways2see" has been making it easier to plan everyday trips since the beginning of March. BIZEPS - Center for Independent Living. Retrieved April 4, 2018.
  7. ↑ project tasks. at ways2see.at. Retrieved March 14, 2018.
  8. ↑ Of course independently through the world. In: ArcAktuell . No. 1, 2018. pp. 20–21. Retrieved April 25, 2018.
  9. ↑ https://barrierefrei.uni-graz.at/ways2see/. Retrieved April 4, 2018.
  10. ↑ ways2see - explanations. Retrieved March 14, 2018.
  11. ↑ Barrier-free navigation for people with visual impairments. SynerGIS. Retrieved March 20, 2018.
  12. ↑ ways2see: A GIS-based digital information platform for people with visual impairment or blindness. VCÖ - mobility with a future. Retrieved April 4, 2018.
  13. ↑ wayfinding for People with Visual Impairment. ESRI. Retrieved April 4, 2018.