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GAWA – Manager for accessibility Wayfinding apps

Author

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  • Rodriguez-Sanchez, M.C.
  • Martinez-Romo, Juan

Abstract

With this work, we propose and validate a new service system in the context of Wayfinding services to improve the SmartCities mechanism: smart mobility, smart people, smart governance and smart living services. Steering and navigation tasks through an environment constitute an essential activity in our daily lives. They have a high degree of practical value in a variety of domains, such as public area design, architectural Wayfinding, geo-positioning and navigation, as well as urban planning and environmental design. At times, people with a visual impairment may also have problems in navigating autonomously and without personal assistance, especially in unknown environments (outdoor and indoor) using a smartphone. There could also be emergency situations in which the receiving of information in real time could be crucial. People with motor disabilities usually need information to avoid environments with obstacles, to arrive at a target or to manage touchscreens in daily activities and different environments. The use of landmarks is therefore vitally important in human navigation. Wayfinding systems must change, given that according to the United Nations (UN) Development Program, people with a disability represent around 10% of the world’s population, which is approximately 650 million people. Additionally, according to the World Health Organization, the world’s population of people 60 years of age and older has doubled since 1980 and is predicted to reach 2 billion by 2050. Most Wayfinding applications in the Smartphone market suffer from at least one of the following problems: the information is not dynamic, the design is not universal or the interface is not adapted to different users and preferences. Accordingly, apps do not currently have a universal design. The GAWA platform provides a universal and accessible solution to manage Wayfinding applications that focuses on people with a disability in outdoor and indoor environments in Smartcities. According to the results, the platform could be used for performing activities in their daily lives.

Suggested Citation

  • Rodriguez-Sanchez, M.C. & Martinez-Romo, Juan, 2017. "GAWA – Manager for accessibility Wayfinding apps," International Journal of Information Management, Elsevier, vol. 37(6), pages 505-519.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:ininma:v:37:y:2017:i:6:p:505-519
    DOI: 10.1016/j.ijinfomgt.2017.05.011
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    Cited by:

    1. Diego Mayordomo-Martínez & Juan M. Carrillo-de-Gea & Ginés García-Mateos & José A. García-Berná & José Luis Fernández-Alemán & Saúl Rosero-López & Salvador Parada-Sarabia & Manuel García-Hernández, 2019. "Sustainable Accessibility: A Mobile App for Helping People with Disabilities to Search Accessible Shops," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 16(4), pages 1-18, February.

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