The ability to travel in the neighborhood and community is crucial to the quality of life of people who are blind or have visual impairments. To fully enjoy the benefits of living in a society (economic, social, educational, recreational, religious, political, etc.), people must be able to venture out efficiently, without fear of disorientation and dependency. The loss of mobility that often accompanies visual impairment can be devastating, both economically, and in terms of psychological and physical health. The project goal is to create a portable GIS-based electronic travel aid (GISTA) that will increase the individual's independent mobility by providing accurate, reliable wayfinding information on demand. Advanced micro-electronic and software technology makes this possible. In Phase I, a prototype will be constructed. A Global Positioning System (GPS) receiver, electronic dead reckoning module (DRM), and innovative geolocation software will accurately determine the user's location. Wayfinding information stored in a Geographical Information System (GIS) database on a laptop computer will be communicated to the user by a speech synthesizer. GISTA's effectiveness as an orientation aid will be evaluated by conducting field tests using visually impaired subjects under the direction of an Orientation & Mobility professional.
GISTA is designed for people with visual impairments, but will also be marketable to a much larger group of pedestrians, including tourists, bikers, soldiers, delivery people, repairmen and law enforcement officials, needing accurate geolocation. GISTA can also be used for data gathering (mapping) and for tracking: children, animals, probationers, robots, etc. Demand for accurate geolocation is growing rapidly, with GPS sales of $2 billion in 1996 expected to increase to $8 billion by the year 2000, providing a favorable environment for commercialization of GISTA.
