Using and Determining Location in a Context-Sensitive Tour Guide

• Authors: Nigel Davies;Keith Cheverst;Keith Mitchell;Alon Efrat
• Venue: Computer
• Year: 2001

The Lancaster Guide project, initiated in 1997, explores the issues that arise from developing and deploying context-sensitive applications--specifically, a tour guide for the city of Lancaster, UK. Motivated by the work on Georgia Tech's CyberGuide, the authors envisioned a system that could provide tailor-made tours for visitors by adapting its behavior to changes in a user's location. In contrast to the CyberGuide project, the Lancaster Guide adopted a network-centric approach. In Guide, the systems obtain information through a high-speed wireless network deployed throughout the target city. After implementing the Guide system in 1999, the authors ran a series of field trials involving members of the general public to explore their reactions to using these methods of locating and identifying objects. Two Guide features generated particular interest among researchers and engineers developing similar systems: the choice of positioning technology--beacons that broadcast using an IEEE 802.11 wireless network combined with user input--and the techniques used for generating custom tours for electronic city-guide systems. To work effectively, Guide relies not only on technology but also on assistance from users. This partnership offers in-creased accuracy while fostering a relationship between end users and the Guide system. The authors seek to create a more engaging and compelling experience than might otherwise be possible if they relied on technology alone. They believe their techniques are applicable to a wide range of location-based applications, especially those that use cellular location systems. Work continues on porting the Guide system to the Compaq IPAQ PDA, which would allow exploration of system development and usability issues for a new class of devices.