Innovative Exhibit Interpretation Using Mobile Applications

London\u27s Science Museum sought innovative ways to interpret important artifacts, such as James Watt\u27s workshop, which contains many objects far removed in time and experience from modern visitors. To assess the suitability of new interpretive tools, this project surveyed a wide range of potential technologies, and then carefully assessed in two stages a prototype iPod Touch Multimedia Guide. The result is a promising new interpretative tool that allows visitors to explore a wide range of objects within multiple interpretative dimensions

Combating e-discrimination in the North West - final report

The Combating eDiscimination in the North West project examined over 100 websites advertising job opportunities both regionally and nationally, and found the vast majority to be largely inaccessible. Professional standards, such as using valid W3C code and adhering to the W3C Web Content Accessibility Guidelines, were largely not followed. The project also conducted interviews with both public and private sector web professionals, and focus groups of disabled computer users, to draw a broader picture of the accessibility of jobs websites. Interviews with leading web development companies in the Greater Manchester region, showed that there is a view there should not be any additional cost in making websites accessible, as the expertise to create a site professionally should be in place from the start, and that accessibility will follow from applying professional standards. However, through the process of trying to create a website for the project, with such a company, it was found that following professional standards is not sufficient to catch all the potential problems, and that user testing is an essential adjunct to professional practice. The main findings of the project are, thus, that: • Most websites in the job opportunities sector are not following professional standards of web development, and are largely inaccessible • Professional standards of web development need to be augmented with user testing to ensure proper accessibility

New media practices in India: bridging past and future, markets and development

This article provides a review of the academic and popular literature on new media practices in India, focusing on the country’s youth's use of mobile phones and the Internet, as well as new media prosumption. One particular feature of the Indian case is the confluence of commercial exploitation of new media technologies and their application for development purposes in initiatives that aim to bring these technologies to marginalized segments of the Indian population. Technology usage in turn is shaped by the socioeconomic location of the user, especially in regards to gender and caste. The potential of new media technologies to subvert such social stratifications and associated norms has inspired much public debate, which is often carried out on the Internet, giving rise to an online public sphere. In all of the writings reviewed here, the tension surrounding new media technologies as a meeting place of the old and the new in India is paramount

JointCalc: A web-based personalised patient decision support tool for joint replacement

Background and purpose Health information systems (HIS) are expected to be effective and efficient in improving healthcare services, but empirical observation of HIS reveals that most perform poorly in terms of these metrics. Theoretical factors of HIS performance are widely studied, and solutions to mitigate poor performance have been proposed. In this paper we implement effective methods to eliminate some common drawbacks of HIS design and demonstrate the synergy between the methods. JointCalc, the first comprehensive patient-facing web-based decision support tool for joint replacement, is used as a case study for this purpose. Methods and results User-centred design and thorough end-user involvement are employed throughout the design and development of JointCalc. This is supported by modern software production paradigms, including continuous integration/continuous development, agile and service-oriented architecture. The adopted methods result in a user-approved application delivered well within the scope of project. Conclusion This work supports the claims of high potential efficiency of HIS. The methods identified are shown to be applicable in the production of an effective HIS whilst aiding development efficiency

The World Wide Web as a vehicle for advertising movies to college students: an exploratory study

The purpose of this study is to explore the World Wide Web as a vehicle for advertising movies to college students. Through a survey of LSU students, this study finds that online promotions as vehicles for advertising movies have great potential. Movie promotion websites are rated the second most effective form of movie advertising after television. The study found that people surf movie promotion websites mainly for movie show times, movie plot and cast information to compare film choices, and movie ticket purchases. The huge amount of data available and the 24/7 access to the internet is an important advantage. However, even though the World Wide Web is a proving an excellent media vehicle for movie advertising, it is still too early to determine whether or not it will supplant TV advertising of movies in the near future

A MUSEUM WITHOUT WALLS: A DIGITAL TOOL FOR THE ROYAL ARMOURIES

This report, prepared for the Royal Armouries Education Center located at Her Majesty\u27s Tower of London, describes the creation of three tools to assist archiving and exhibiting of information contained in the White Tower. The tools include a digital archive, a virtual tour, and a virtual Line of Kings exhibit. This project responds to the Royal Armouries\u27 staff\u27s requests for an updated archive and an increase in accessibility by providing better-maintained exhibit records and online access to the White Tower

Driving and parking patterns of European car drivers – a mobility survey

The development of innovative vehicles such as electric driven cars is an important potential option for improving the sustainability of the transport sector. A significant penetration of electric vehicles in the market is possible only if their use is compatible with mobility patterns of individuals. For instance, the driven distance should be compatible with the batteries range or parking patterns should enable re-charging. The JRC-IET together with TRT and IPSOS analyzed car mobility patterns derived from direct surveys in six European Union Member States (France, Germany, Italy, Poland, Spain and United Kingdom). The report aims at providing some insights on how electric vehicles could fit mobility habits of European car drivers. The analysis is based on the data collected within six European countries by means of a sample survey. A web-based car trips diary was filled in by on average 600 individuals in each country. The individuals logged for 7 consecutive days their driving and parking patterns in 5 minute intervals. For each trip several details such as departure and arrival time, distance and parking place were registered. Socioeconomic characteristics of individuals were also collected. The same questionnaire format was used in all countries allowing for comparability of responses. Representativeness of the derived data was ensured by weighting and aligning the received sample to the socio-demographic reference universe of each member state. Survey results are statistically analyzed to describe mobility patterns. In particular, the information on average number of car trips per day, daily travel distance, daily travel time, trip distance, distribution of parking and driving, distribution of parking places, trip purposes, duration of parking and many other parameters per Member State are analyzed and presented in the report. Moreover, the analysis of the survey data shows which share of driving patterns are compatible with the use of electric cars with their current technical features (batteries range, re-charge time) under alternative assumptions about the availability of re-charge facilities. Also differences and similarities between countries and user groups are discussed. Overall, the results of the survey provide representative driving profiles for estimating the charging profiles of electric vehicles and many other indications on how people use their car. The outcomes of the survey provide relevant methodological hints to develop similar surveys in other contexts or to repeat the survey in other countries.JRC.F.6-Energy systems evaluatio

Location-based and contextual mobile learning. A STELLAR Small-Scale Study

This study starts from several inputs that the partners have collected from previous and current running research projects and a workshop organised at the STELLAR Alpine Rendevous 2010. In the study, several steps have been taken, firstly a literature review and analysis of existing systems; secondly, mobile learning experts have been involved in a concept mapping study to identify the main challenges that can be solved via mobile learning; and thirdly, an identification of educational patterns based on these examples has been done. Out of this study the partners aim to develop an educational framework for contextual learning as a unifying approach in the field. Therefore one of our central research questions is: how can we investigate, theorise, model and support contextual learning