Guidance system for handicapped people

Abstract

This paper describes the design and implementation of a common information infrastructure for passenger support systems. Based on this infrastructure, we have developed various guidance systems for use not only by the transportation disadvantaged, including visually-impaired and wheelchair users, but also by non-impaired people. By using the common infrastructure, we can build various guidance systems in a more cost-effective way. We have achieved this goal by developing a common access interface to user position databased on radio frequency identification (RFID) technologies and a method to describe guidance data which can be used for a variety of guidance systems. We have also developed prototype guidance systems based on this common information infrastructure.