Akbar Moradi; Mohammad Reza Malek
Abstract
Extended Abstract Introduction The combination of spatial analysis, different methods of positioning and mobile and ubiquitous processing, positioning technology such as global positioning systems and a part of spatial analyses and GIS equipment have led to the emergence of a new trend as context-aware ...
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Extended Abstract Introduction The combination of spatial analysis, different methods of positioning and mobile and ubiquitous processing, positioning technology such as global positioning systems and a part of spatial analyses and GIS equipment have led to the emergence of a new trend as context-aware and mobile GIS. One of the context-aware services that has been welcomed by most people is location-based services. Location-based services provide services to users using the user’s position. Tourism is one of the areas that can be focused based on these applications. Tourists need structured information that is available to them at any moment and any place. This information helps them to justify their position to the place that may be new and unfamiliar to them. It helps them to find their desired locations and the best path which leads to that location. Context-aware systems match their behavior based on these contexts by examining the user’s current contexts. Materials & Methods To design and implement a context-aware tourism system, we initially should identify effective contexts, and specify and model the effect of each of these contexts. In this research, location context is used to provide services such as finding the right places like tourist spots, historical sites, gas stations, restaurants, hotels, hospitals, etc. which are close to user location, map graphic displaying , and to optimize the tour schedule. The user movement speed is another effective context in context-aware systems. Provision of information for users with different speeds is varied. Another effective context in providing services to tourists is the user movement direction. Direction can have different applications in providing information to tourists. For example, map details increase in the user movement direction or the map magnification changes according to the movement direction. For example, the size of the symbols of locations on the map can be changed according to the user’s direction. Time context is another important in providing information to tourists. This context may be dotted during a day or a period. One of the time application in the provision of information is the working time of different place. Results & Discussion Designing and implementation of a context-aware information system is usually complicated. It is well clear that mobility creates some challenges in these systems. Therefore, an operating system is needed to take the users and tourists’ demands into consideration in a dynamic environment. Context-aware applications aim to meet these needs and select various aspects of context such as the tourist or user’s current location, time, and other activities. In addition, increasing the amount of data makes it difficult to get access to this information through mobile equipment used by tourists. Accessing and finding the necessary information at the right time and with the right level of detail is very important for tourists. A questionnaire survey was designed to evaluate the system. A number of experts in tourism, municipality, and also citizens were asked to use the system for providing a comparison with non-context-aware systems. The results revealed that the proposed system was more efficient in terms of being easy to understand, having the necessary information, providing timely information for users, etc. Conclusion In this research, a context-aware system was designed and implemented to provide information to tourists in the city of Maragheh. The system provides related information to tourists based on contexts, such as location, movement speed, movement direction, the type of path and time context. The system introduced new contexts, that is, speed and direction. Some of the services in this system for tourists are creating tourism tours based on the type of attractions such as historic sites, sports sites, etc. In addition, the tourists can choose the type of path based on their preferences such as the shortest path, the most beautiful path, and the path of shopping centers. The implemented system was given to 20 users including 17 tourists, 2 municipality experts, and1 tourism expert for assessment. The results showed that an average of about 83.33% of users were satisfied with the implementation of the system and recommended it for using by other tourists.
Seyyed Vahid Razavi Termeh; Mohammad Reza Malek
Abstract
Extended Abstract
Introduction
Over time, spatial data has evolved from paper maps to Web GIS through digital mapping and finally to the current generation of GIS. Although this new interface has enhanced user’s insights about spatial information, it still needs more tangible interface that ...
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Extended Abstract
Introduction
Over time, spatial data has evolved from paper maps to Web GIS through digital mapping and finally to the current generation of GIS. Although this new interface has enhanced user’s insights about spatial information, it still needs more tangible interface that can be usable to the public and enhance human interactions with the environment and spatial objects. Combining real and virtual worlds, Augmented Reality (AR) systems can make more tangible experience with real world objects. These activities relies on the dynamic working environments. Therefore it is important to consider the users environment and its changing through context-awareness. Context-awareness is any kind of information about user’s status and its estimation allows to integrate the context with the happening changes. AR is a combination of real vision with virtual content in real–time and acts as an interface to increase user insight of the real world and interaction with it. With increasing information in the AR, the usefulness and readability of information decreases and the details and their display should also be subject to certain conditions. To overcome this problem, we offer the combination of AR with context-awareness. Hence, in this study, The AR representation varies according to the user’s context. The increasing use of sensors, their hardware and software enhancements, and growth and development of communication networks have led to development of context-aware computing. Context-aware computing is rooted in processing anywhere and anytime, and aims at understanding environmental changes in computer systems so that computers can understand and respond to their environment. The small screen, low bandwidth, interaction problems, and user’s quick need to obtain response from service have driven services to provide information based on users and their environments. Nowadays, in most location planning applications, they try to use directional data besides location data. By using this information, better interaction and information are provided to user. The activities performed depend on user’s dynamic work environment, so by using context-aware knowledge, the environment and user environment changes receive more attention. The output of old programs was based on specific input and did not consider context change.
Materials & Methods
By increasing the amount of realistic information, simultaneous provision of all information will not only reduce the usefulness and readability of information, but also details and their presentation. In order to overcome the problem, we have used a context-aware augmented reality that displays the necessary information according to actual increase in user’s context. Specially in the domain of spatial services, given the massive amount of the available information and simultaneous provision of data in real-time due to small display of associated equipment make visual distraction for user, so by using context-awareness, useful and proper information can be provided to the user. Having the vulnerability maps, specifically about buildings in the region of interest is a necessary requirement for any rescue and relief teams after earthquake. Due to the lack of immediate access to earthquake vulnerability maps, it is necessary to provide an intelligible context information system for displaying vulnerabilities of building with the help of augmented reality. In general, any type of navigation issue, information about building vulnerabilities to select safe paths or temporary accommodation is required. In order to implement such information system, three contexts, i.e. distance, direction and time for presenting information in augmented reality was studied. To this purpose, after zoning vulnerability caused by earthquake in Tehran, Donyaye-Noor business complex was used as the case study and information system was considered with three contexts for given site. In order to evaluate the presented system, our context-aware augmented reality system was compared with an augmented reality system alone.
Results & Discussion
Results of evaluation show that combination of augmented reality and context-aware can reveal suitable information by considering the user context, while data presentation in augmented reality is monotonic and there is no dynamism in changing information display. The results of evaluating combined augmented reality system with context-awareness compared with augmented reality alone show that context-aware augmented reality system is more active and always reveals more adopted information to the user regarding environmental dynamics. While information is uniform and does not change in augmented reality.
Conclusion
Using the context-aware spatial information system, the user can take different decisions under different circumstances or gain extra information about other context such as time, velocity, acceleration. To better understanding augmented reality, certain graphical forms can be used. Displaying vulnerability by augmented reality can be a tool for ordinary users or specialists in the field of urban design and management, without the need for mapping and map reading knowledge in managing important centers and building in low-risk areas. The results of integrated system evaluation from various users indicate the system’s performance is superior to augmented reality system alone.
