Information Technology Reference
In-Depth Information
as satellite is not effective. Applications in complex buildings (e.g. airports
or museums) may be especially effective.
Navigation support (how do I get where I want to go?):
−
•
indoor navigation requires wireless technology and enhanced accuracy
technologies (e.g. dead reckoning);
outdoor-to-indoor transition involving a seamless switch between
technologies (e.g. satellite to wireless);
−
digital maps for pedestrians.
−
Scenario 8.
Case Study: supporting individual physical mobility
Angela is 72 years old and is very active. She has many friends and likes to go out regularly. As she lives in
the city centre, she finds it convenient to walk, as she always has. She is, however, suffering from angina
and asthma which makes walking, although beneficial for both conditions, more of a challenge. This makes
her planned trip to meet her friend Rosemary at the Science Museum more complex than it was five years
ago.
But in time a single piece of technology has revolutionized Angela's life: the “smart” mobile phone. She has
used a mobile phone for some years but found the previous model difficult to use due to the small size of the
keys. Recently she purchased a new-generation phone with larger keys, a larger display, and comprehensive
functionality including adjustable colour contrast, adjustable text size, zoom functions, digital maps, GPS,
wireless and near-field communication (NFC), and different methods of output (text, pictograms and audio).
It has been many years since Angela visited the Science Museum (Galileo was still a scientist and
astronomer rather than a satellite system at that time), so she does some pre-trip research about its location
using the Internet. Then she pre-sets the location of the Science Museum into her smart phone. Once she
leaves her house, she is able to consult her satellite-based positioning and route guidance system. She is
informed audibly of the directions to take via an earpiece, which means she can leave the phone (and digital
map) in her pocket. This is more reassuring to her as it enables her to focus on the route ahead rather than a
device in her hand. Because the digital map is highly detailed and regularly updated to take account of
things like road works or re-modelled pedestrian crossings, or even re-sited street furniture, she is able to
rely on the audible output.
Halfway through her journey she receives an audible warning that the presence of ozone is above the
recommended level in that area. To avoid a possible asthma attack, she accesses a web-based journey
planner on her smart phone to adjust her route to avoid the environmental problem.
Soon Angela arrives at the museum. Upon entering, her smart phone switches seamlessly from satellite-
based navigation to wireless-based, as the museum is equipped with a dense wireless network. As the phone
is NFC-enabled, she is able to pay her concessionary entry fee by swiping the phone a few centimetres from
a reader, with the fee automatically deducted from her credit.
She has arranged to meet her friend Rosemary in the café on the third floor. To find the café she consults the
map of the museum on her phone display and plots out an appropriate route based on her personal profile.
This route will include some stairs to provide beneficial physical exertion. The map is able to display multi-
floor visual representations of the museum and alternative routes between amenities and exhibits when
required; Angela is able to click on features of interest, and in this way soon locates the café. She is also able
to access information about the café's menu and services. Within a few minutes she has met up with her
friend. Angela is happy that the powerful functionality of her smart phone combined with satellite and
mobile technologies, and the wireless and sensor networks deployed in the city, have helped her enjoy a
hassle-free and health-beneficial trip.
Functionality
Satellite communication.
Satellite communication is a core functionality for providing
positional information and location-based services. GPS is the best-known example,
but the Russian GLONASS system and the European system Galileo are also likely to
become important in the future. These systems require a line of sight from their
satellites to the receiving devices and so are largely unsuitable for indoor locations or
