NAVCOM - Navigation und Kommunikation im und mit dem öffentlichen Verkehr speziell für Menschen mit besonderen Bedürfnissen

This project is an attempt to realise and simplify the mobility difficulties of individual physically impaired people. The independent movement of physically impaired people is often problematic because of the lack of traffic safety and the infrastructure complexity of buildings. To reduce this confusion a concept based on the project ways4all was created, which is to represent a relief for every kind of user group, from the visually handicapped right up to tourists. What is exceptional about this concept is the combination of two innovative technologies: inertial navigation for indoor-routing and WLAN communication to contact the public transport vehicles and inform on the stop announcements. Current research findings have shown that the combination of these single components is very useful because they complement each other perfectly and guarantee fluent crossing interfaces in traffic systems. The inertial navigation system was developed at the Institute of Constructional Informatics at the TU Graz and has been tested successfully. With the help of building plans it is already possible at this stage of development to depict a persons indoor position successfully. This technology will be more sophisticated and miniaturised in the course of this project. The implementation on mobile phones according to the two sense principle (acoustic and visual) and the connection to the RFID-technology for navigation will be important components of the work. The accuracy of the navigation in combination with passive RFID-Tags placed in the ground should be multiply increased for visually impaired people and at the same time the amount of the tags needed should be reduced by implementing the software algorithm GERWEI which was developed at the FH-Joanneum. Simultaneously through this realisation the effort and the costs of the operator will be reduced enormously and the practicability of installation will be guaranteed. The implementation of WLAN technology for this project is based on a successful preparatory work at the FH-Joanneum and the demonstration at the project Rampe- Frankreich as well as the required range (double bus stops) and the availability of conventional mobile phones. Depending on what is required, information on stops as well as dynamic information like delays and platform changes , will be prompted directly from the mobile phone in real time and on site (at the railway area just on site available). It is the first time that visually impaired people will receive feedback such as access desire,from a technical system, which signalizes the unique quality of this technique. The aim of this project is to expand the research findings from the project ways4all, to complement and to create a uniform total system out of navigation and communication technologies. As a result an individual barrier free mobility chain for all travellers will be presented, which will viably support safety when travelling on public transportation.