Brief notes from Keith Chervest's presentation (Feb 10)

Keith Chervest (Lancaster University) ''Exploiting Traditional Map Signage with Mobile Devices ''

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Keith spoke about three different areas he has worked on:

1. Location-aware electronic guide system for visitors to Lancaster city centre; work started mid-90s. Had a requirement for dynamic information updates - 7 wifi cells set up around Lancaster to transfer dynamic information (e.g. castle cell would send out a beacon saying “you’re in the castle area”, provided updates about whether tours were running etc).

Initial trials - found it was too focused– e.g. when people pressed “information” button, might want to know about something they can see in the distance rather than the location in which they are situated. Re-designed to accommodate this problem.

Could not, at the time, find a GIS system that fulfilled all their needs for the information model.

Tour navigation functionality supported by the guide system – involved users in this; orchestrated in steps, visitors clarified that they had completed this step by clicking.

New requirement for GIS-based model when they started to explore a push-based approach.

2. Next spoke about a means of fostering a sense of community in the village of Wray, by situated digital displays (initially of photographs of their annual Scarecrow Festival) around community hubs in the village, with community-generated content. Held a design workshop with residents. Comments book positioned next to the display for residents and visitors to leave feedback. System extended so that visitors could submit their own categories of content, if they agreed to moderate that content. Gave the residents a sense of empowerment and ownership.

Trialled another system with a “loco-mash” application; GPS enabled mobile phone, could take a photograph, press submit and this would transmit it to the server in real time.

'''3. Final project: Exploiting Traditional Map Signage with Mobile Devices; interested in geo-referencing a tourist map so that a mobile device with GPS could be used whilst walking round an area - traditional “you are here” symbol moves around when you do. '''

Developed an android-based application to prompt the user to take four photographs of the “you are here” map, which can be uploaded to a server (results in geo-located “you are here” maps on the system in most cases). Will carry out categorical analysis of these maps.

Issues with this: scale problem.

Techniques interested in – e.g. how processing on the mobile phone, appropriate user interaction can capture the information and turn it into a scale reading to help with the geo-referencing.