4,320 research outputs found

    Crisis Analytics: Big Data Driven Crisis Response

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    Disasters have long been a scourge for humanity. With the advances in technology (in terms of computing, communications, and the ability to process and analyze big data), our ability to respond to disasters is at an inflection point. There is great optimism that big data tools can be leveraged to process the large amounts of crisis-related data (in the form of user generated data in addition to the traditional humanitarian data) to provide an insight into the fast-changing situation and help drive an effective disaster response. This article introduces the history and the future of big crisis data analytics, along with a discussion on its promise, challenges, and pitfalls

    Toward an Automatic Road Accessibility Information Collecting and Sharing Based on Human Behavior Sensing Technologies of Wheelchair Users

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    AbstractThis research proposes a methodology for digitizing street level accessibility with human sensing of wheelchair users. The dig- itization of street level accessibility is essential to develop accessibility maps or to personalize a route considering accessibility. However, current digitization methodologies are not sufficient because it requires a lot of manpower and therefore money and time cost. The proposed method makes it possible to digitize the accessibility semi-automatically. In this research, a three-axis accelerometer embedded on iPod touch sensed actions of nine wheelchair users across the range of disabilities and aged groups, in Tokyo, approximately 9hours. This paper reports out attempts to estimate both environmental factors: the status of street and subjective factors: driver's fatigue from human sensing data using machine learning

    Exploring intrinsic and extrinsic motivations to participate in a crowdsourcing project to support blind and partially sighted students

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    There have been a number of crowdsourcing projects to support people with disabilities. However, there is little exploration of what motivates people to participate in such crowdsourcing projects. In this study we investigated how different motivational factors can affect the participation of people in a crowdsourcing project to support visually disabled students. We are developing “DescribeIT”, a crowdsourcing project to support blind and partially students by having sighted people describe images in digital learning resources. We investigated participants’ behavior of the DescribeIT project using three conditions: one intrinsic motivation condition and two extrinsic motivation conditions. The results showed that participants were significantly intrinsically motivated to participate in the DescribeIT project. In addition, participants’ intrinsic motivation dominated the effect of the two extrinsic motivational factors in the extrinsic conditions

    Iterative Design and Prototyping of Computer Vision Mediated Remote Sighted Assistance

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    Remote sighted assistance (RSA) is an emerging navigational aid for people with visual impairments (PVI). Using scenario-based design to illustrate our ideas, we developed a prototype showcasing potential applications for computer vision to support RSA interactions. We reviewed the prototype demonstrating real-world navigation scenarios with an RSA expert, and then iteratively refined the prototype based on feedback. We reviewed the refined prototype with 12 RSA professionals to evaluate the desirability and feasibility of the prototyped computer vision concepts. The RSA expert and professionals were engaged by, and reacted insightfully and constructively to the proposed design ideas. We discuss what we learned about key resources, goals, and challenges of the RSA prosthetic practice through our iterative prototype review, as well as implications for the design of RSA systems and the integration of computer vision technologies into RSA

    ReefKIM: An integrated geodatabase for sustainable management of the Kimberley Reefs, North West Australia

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    Coral reefs of the Kimberley Bioregion are seldom studied due to limited accessibility and extreme water conditions, which make management of these vital ecosystems a challenging task. Managing reef resources requires a considerable amount of credible, consistent and continual information. We identified the geographic information system (GIS) approach to be useful in developing an integrated geodatabase by acquiring information from different sources relating to the Kimberley reefs. Based on this approach, the study aimed to create a foundation for the first comprehensive geodatabase of the Kimberley reefs, called ReefKIM. The work included compiling existing spatial and non-spatial data, as well as collecting new data to complete information gaps. The study demonstrates how new technologies can be harnessed to crowdsource data from a wide range of people though a web-based platform. ReefKIM will provide a practical tool for scientists and managers to facilitate better monitoring and sustainable management of these vital natural resources. Moreover, it will support further studies in various disciplines leading to a more detailed understanding of the Kimberley Bioregion reefs

    A qualitative enquiry into OpenStreetMap making

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    Based on a case study on the OpenStreetMap community, this paper provides a contextual and embodied understanding of the user-led, user-participatory and user-generated produsage phenomenon. It employs Grounded Theory, Social Worlds Theory, and qualitative methods to illuminate and explores the produsage processes of OpenStreetMap making, and how knowledge artefacts such as maps can be collectively and collaboratively produced by a community of people, who are situated in different places around the world but engaged with the same repertoire of mapping practices. The empirical data illustrate that OpenStreetMap itself acts as a boundary object that enables actors from different social worlds to co-produce the Map through interacting with each other and negotiating the meanings of mapping, the mapping data and the Map itself. The discourses also show that unlike traditional maps that black-box cartographic knowledge and offer a single dominant perspective of cities or places, OpenStreetMap is an embodied epistemic object that embraces different world views. The paper also explores how contributors build their identities as an OpenStreetMaper alongside some other identities they have. Understanding the identity-building process helps to understand mapping as an embodied activity with emotional, cognitive and social repertoires
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