The virtual guide: a direction giving embodied conversational agent

We present the Virtual Guide, an embodied conversational agent that can give directions in a 3D virtual environment. We discuss how dialogue management, language generation and the generation of appropriate gestures are carried out in our system

Trouble on the road: Finding reasons for commuter stress from tweets

Intelligent Transportation Systems could benefit from harnessing social media content to get continuous feedback. In this work, we implement a system to identify reasons for stress in tweets related to traffic using a word vector strategy to select a reason from a predefined list generated by topic modeling and clustering. The proposed system, which performs better than standard machine learning algorithms, could provide inputs to warning systems for commuters in the area and feedback for the authorities.Published versio

Mobile Location Based Services: Non-visual Feedback Using Haptics

Haptics is a feedback technology that takes advantage of the human sense of touch by applying forces, vibrations, and/or motions to a haptic-enabled device such as a mobile phone. Historically, human-computer interaction has been visual, text and images on the screen. In this paper, we discuss our Haptic Interaction Model which describes the integration of haptic feedback into Mobile Location Based Services such as knowledge discovery, pedestrian navigation and notification systems. A knowledge discovery system called the Haptic GeoWand is a low interaction system that allows users to query geo-tagged data around them by using a point-and-scan technique with their mobile device. Haptic Pedestrian is a navigation system for walkers. Four prototypes have been developed classified according to the user‟s guidance requirements, the user type (based on spatial skills), and overall system complexity. Haptic Alert is a notification system that provides spatial information to the users of public transport. In all these systems, haptic feedback is used to convey information about location, orientation, density and distance by use of the vibration alarm with varying frequencies and patterns to help understand the physical environment. User trials have elicited positive response from the users. Haptics integrated into a multi-modal navigation system and other mobile location based services provides more usable, less distracting but more effective interaction than conventional systems

Mobile Location Based Services: Non-visual Feedback Using Haptics

Haptics is a feedback technology that takes advantage of the human sense of touch by applying forces, vibrations, and/or motions to a haptic-enabled device such as a mobile phone. Historically, human-computer interaction has been visual, text and images on the screen. In this paper, we discuss our Haptic Interaction Model which describes the integration of haptic feedback into Mobile Location Based Services such as knowledge discovery, pedestrian navigation and notification systems. A knowledge discovery system called the Haptic GeoWand is a low interaction system that allows users to query geo-tagged data around them by using a point-and-scan technique with their mobile device. Haptic Pedestrian is a navigation system for walkers. Four prototypes have been developed classified according to the user‟s guidance requirements, the user type (based on spatial skills), and overall system complexity. Haptic Alert is a notification system that provides spatial information to the users of public transport. In all these systems, haptic feedback is used to convey information about location, orientation, density and distance by use of the vibration alarm with varying frequencies and patterns to help understand the physical environment. User trials have elicited positive response from the users. Haptics integrated into a multi-modal navigation system and other mobile location based services provides more usable, less distracting but more effective interaction than conventional systems

Generating descriptions that summarize geospatial and temporal data

Effective data summarization methods that use AI techniques can help humans understand large sets of data. In this paper, we describe a knowledge-based method for automatically generating summaries of geospatial and temporal data, i.e. data with geographical and temporal references. The method is useful for summarizing data streams, such as GPS traces and traffic information, that are becoming more prevalent with the increasing use of sensors in computing devices. The method presented here is an initial architecture for our ongoing research in this domain. In this paper we describe the data representations we have designed for our method, our implementations of components to perform data abstraction and natural language generation. We also discuss evaluation results that show the ability of our method to generate certain types of geospatial and temporal descriptions

A knowledge-based method for generating summaries of spatial movement in geographic areas

In this article we describe a method for automatically generating text summaries of data corresponding to traces of spatial movement in geographical areas. The method can help humans to understand large data streams, such as the amounts of GPS data recorded by a variety of sensors in mobile phones, cars, etc. We describe the knowledge representations we designed for our method and the main components of our method for generating the summaries: a discourse planner, an abstraction module and a text generator. We also present evaluation results that show the ability of our method to generate certain types of geospatial and temporal descriptions

Artificial Speech and Its Authors

Some of the systems used in natural language generation (NLG), a branch of applied computational linguistics, have the capacity to create or assemble somewhat original messages adapted to new contexts. In this paper, taking Bernard Williams’ account of assertion by machines as a starting point, I argue that NLG systems meet the criteria for being speech actants to a substantial degree. They are capable of authoring original messages, and can even simulate illocutionary force and speaker meaning. Background intelligence embedded in their datasets enhances these speech capacities. Although there is an open question about who is ultimately responsible for their speech, if anybody, we can settle this question by using the notion of proxy speech, in which responsibility for artificial speech acts is assigned legally or conventionally to an entity separate from the speech actant

How people describe their place: Approaches to interpreting and formalizing place descriptions

This cumulative thesis deals with human place descriptions and their interpretation. In particular, it poses four different research questions: What are dominant types of place descriptions? What different types of hierarchical structures do they use? What is the role of spatial relationships in defining the actual location? Can violations in form of flat structures or gaps in levels be related to the applied classification scheme

Proposição de um conjunto de relações espaciais para tarefas de descrições espaciais

Orientadora: Profª. Drª Luciene Stamato DelazariTese (doutorado) - Universidade Federal do Paraná, Setor de Ciências da Terra, Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ciências Geodésicas. Defesa : Curitiba, 26/02/2019Inclui referências: p. 146-154Resumo: Descrever espacialmente objetos ou ambientes é uma tarefa cotidiana e natural presente na rotina dos indivíduos. Frequentemente, tais descrições são realizadas através da Linguagem Natural (LN), tanto a falada como a escrita. A descrição espacial é composta por expressões como "a padaria fica ao lado do supermercado" ou "a padaria fica perto do supermercado". Esse tipo de descrição é a forma predominante de comunicação espacial entre os indivíduos é conhecido como expressão locativa ou locacionais. As expressões locativas são compostas por três elementos fundamentais: o elemento a ser localizado (locatum), ponto de referência (relatum) e a relação espacial. Os pontos de referência são elementos do ambiente que se destacam dentre os outros. A característica que torna um elemento uma referência pode ser visual (cor, tamanho), estrutural (localização proeminente) ou semântica (significado cultural, histórico ou atividade relacionada). Os vocábulos empregados para fazer associações entre o elemento a ser localizado e o ponto de referência são chamados de relações espaciais. A existência de uma constante interação do homem com o ambiente torna a LN rica em vocábulos espaciais que caracterizam o espaço, resultando em uma diversidade de tais vocábulos. A quantidade substancial e a versatilidade dos vocábulos utilizados como relações espaciais dificultam sua implementação em sistemas que buscam interpretar, processar e representar a linguagem natural. O projeto "Where Am I?", no qual esta pesquisa está inserida, tem como objetivo implementar um desses sistemas, em que seja possível converter a descrição espacial do indivíduo em uma localização geográfica. Dessa forma, o objetivo geral desta tese foi verificar se a escolha das relações espaciais é afetada pelos contextos em que se encontra o indivíduo. Os dados que possibilitaram este trabalho foram obtidos a partir de três fontes: 1) teste exploratório em ambientes desconhecidos, 2) testes exploratórios em ambiente conhecido e 3) ocorrências registradas pelo Corpo de Bombeiros Militar de Santa Catarina (CBM-SC). Os resultados alcançados permitiram a realização do experimento final em dois contextos: cotidiano e estresse. O experimento final mostrou que o emprego das relações espaciais se deu de maneiras diferentes em ambos os contextos, uma vez que a quantidade e a variabilidade dos vocábulos empregados foram distintas. Apesar disso, foi perceptível o uso de um conjunto de vocábulos representativo dos demais. Isso presume, que apesar do contexto influenciar na escolha das relações espaciais, o conjunto obtido de relações espaciais é satisfatório para serem empregados nos contextos experimentados nesta tese. Sendo assim, os experimentos realizados possibilitaram a comprovação da hipótese levantada nesta tese, e ainda que o conjunto de relações espaciais representativo das demais pode auxiliar em pesquisas futuras que objetivam a implementação da LN em sistemas de localização geográfica. Palavras-chaves: Linguagem Natural; Pontos de Referência; Relações espaciais; Descrição espacial.Abstract: Spatially describing objects or environments is a daily and natural task present in the routine of individuals. Frequently, such descriptions are performed through the Natural Language (NL), both spoken and written. The spatial description is composed of expressions such as "the bakery is next to the supermarket" or "the bakery is near the supermarket". This type of description is the predominant form of spatial communication between individuals is known as a locative or locational expression. Locative expressions are composed of three fundamental elements: the feature to be located (locatum), the reference point (relatum) and the spatial relation. Landmarks are elements of the environment that stand out from others. A characteristic that makes an element a reference can be visual (structural, visual), structural (structural) or semantic (cultural meaning). The terms used to make associations between the element to be located and the reference point are called spatial relations. The existence of a constant interaction of the individuals with the environment makes NL rich in spatial terms that characterize space, resulting in a diversity of such words. The substantial quantity and versatility of the terms used as spatial relations make it difficult to implement them in systems that seek to interpret, process and represent natural language. The project called "Where am I?", in which this research is inserted, aims to implement one of these systems that possible to convert the spatial description of the individual into a geographic location. Thus, the general objective of this thesis was to verify if the choice of spatial relations is affected by the contexts in which the individual is. The data that enabled this work were obtained from three sources: 1) exploratory test in unknown environments, 2) exploratory tests in a known environment, and 3) occurrences recorded by the Santa Catarina Military Fire Brigade (CBM-SC). The results allowed the realization of the final experiment in two contexts: daily and stress. The final experiment showed that the use of spatial relations occurred in different ways in both contexts, since the quantity and variability of the terms used were different. Despite this, the use of a set of words representative of the others was perceptible. This assumes that, although the context influences the choice of spatial relations, the set of spatial relations is adequate to be used in the contexts experienced in this thesis. Thus, the experiments carried out allowed to prove the hypothesis raised in this thesis, and even though the set of spatial relations representative of the others can help in future research that aim at the implementation of NL in geographic location systems. Keywords: Natural Language; Reference points; Spatial relationships; Spatial description

Développement d'une application mobile adaptée à la navigation des personnes à mobilité réduite

Actuellement, l'usage d'un système d'aide à la navigation est devenu de plus en plus indispensable dans la vie quotidienne. Cependant, les systèmes existants ne sont pas adaptés à la navigation des personnes à mobilité réduite (PMR) utilisatrices d'un fauteuil roulant. De nombreux projets ont été créés, comme Wegoto en France ou Route4U en Hongrie. Au Canada, le projet multidisciplinaire MobiliSIG a été lancé en 2013. Ce projet vise à concevoir et développer des technologies géospatiales de navigation selon les principes de la conception cognitive pour assister les PMR dans leurs déplacements quotidiens et leur accès à l'environnement. L'objectif global du présent projet est la conception d'un système mobile de planification de trajet et de guidage pendant la navigation, multimodal et adapté aux différents profils de personnes à mobilité réduite utilisatrices de fauteuil roulant. Pour commencer, nous avons passé en revue la littérature relative aux concepts liés à notre problématique. Ensuite, nous avons proposé une approche d'aide à la navigation qui combine des éléments de guidage pas à pas avec des informations sur des repères ainsi que de différents éléments pertinents (points d'intérêts, obstacles/facilitateurs, ...) pour la description d'un trajet personnalisé et adapté au profil des PMR. Finalement, en nous appuyant sur les principes de la conception modulaire et sur le concept des applications mobiles riches (AMR), nous avons conçu et développé une solution mobile composée de trois modules : un module profil pour gérer le profil et les préférences de l'utilisateur, un module de planification qui gère la planification adaptée des itinéraires et un module de navigation pour fournir un guidage multimodal (visuel, vocal et haptique) pendant la navigation en tenant compte de profil de l'utilisateur.Currently, the use of a navigation aid system has become more and more essential in daily life. However, the existing systems are not adapted to the navigation of people with reduced mobility (PRM) using a wheelchair. Many projects have been created, such as Wegoto in France or Route4U in Hungary. In Canada, the multidisciplinary project MobiliSIG was launched in 2013. This project aims to design and develop geospatial navigation technologies according to the principles of cognitive design to assist PRMs in their daily travel and access to the environment. The overall objective of this project is the design of a mobile route planning and guidance system during navigation, multimodal and adapted to the different profiles of wheelchair users with reduced mobility. To begin, we reviewed the literature related to the concepts of our problem. Then, we proposed a navigation aid approach that combines step-by-step guidance elements with information on landmarks and different relevant elements (points of interest, obstacles/facilitators, ...) for the description of a personalized path adapted to the profile of PRM. Finally, based on the principles of modular design and the concept of rich mobile applications (RMAs), we designed and developed a mobile solution composed of three modules: a profile module to manage the user's profile and preferences; a planning module to manage the adapted route planning; and a navigation module to provide multimodal guidance (visual, voice and haptic) during navigation taking into account the user's profile