Information Technology Reference
In-Depth Information
Figure 10.1.
At Paris-Charles de Gaulle airport, this wall of information
displays information about more than 150 flights
The objective is to provide information to these mobile users either by using
private devices that they can carry with them (PDA, cell phone, portable multimedia
player, etc.), or if they do not have one, using public devices that they might
encounter during their journey (pubic information screens, loudspeakers). Let us
remark that it is not a matter of presenting personal information on public devices
but rather carrying filtering public information so as to present only that which
could be of interest to users in close proximity
1
.
All users, whoever they may be, are confronted with difficulties when they need
to obtain information and direct themselves in an unknown environment.
Nonetheless, there is a category of people for whom these tasks are particularly
delicate: those with sensory handicaps. Indeed, the information devices are not
necessarily adapted to them. Therefore, an information screen will be of no use to a
blind person; similarly, a deaf person will not perceive information broadcast by
loudspeaker.
1 If a single user is present in front of a screen, information that was initially of a public
nature can take on a private nature and therefore pose confidentiality problems. In this case,
one possible solution consists of displaying a few information items so as to preserve the
individuals' privacy. This point will be discussed in the conclusion.
