A friendly navigation-system based on points of interest, augmented reality and context-awareness

Abstract

This paper presents a system to supply spatial orientation and support for daily-activities from a friendly and understandable perspective. We propose a model based on points of interest or well-known places, generating friendly routes to a destination based on user context instead of classical street names and quantitative distances. Moreover, the system offers augmented reality views that include contextual information. This philosophy of navigation is closer to the needs of users in their usual environments as well as in unknown places (e.g. tourism, business trips, etc.). The proposal is focused on any kind of people but it is especially useful for those who are not accustomed to use new technologies, people with disorientation problems and, in general, for people with some slight cognitive deficit. The system also includes mechanisms to know the contextual situation of the user by relatives or friends, supporting the desirable social requirements of nowadays applications. © 2012 Springer-Verlag.