Geofencing on a mobile platform with alert escalation

Abstract

GPS-enabled mobile devices can utilize location information to potentially provide a safer tracked environment allowing vulnerable people to continue with their daily activities, as much as possible. This paper presents the options for alert escalation. The aim is to provide a safety net, without triggering unnecessary alarms. The escalation procedure involves initial speech alert to the user, then a speech and vibrate alert to the user as a reminder; this is followed by a text message to an identified carer if the user has not re-entered the designated safe zone. Parameters for alert escalation can be tuned to individual circumstances. The user can seek help by getting directions from the current position to home or by calling a carer. We report on a small user evaluation (n=6), an essential pre-requisite to testing with the intended cohort.