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Navevo announce Barrier Free SatNav for wheelchair users


Article by: Mike Barrett
Date: 4 Apr 2013

pocketgpsworld.com
Navevo and Thales Alenia Space have come together to create a navigation system targeted at wheelchair users. This is claimed to be the world's first barrier-free navigation system, offering wheelchair users a safe and reliable way of traversing both road and pedestrian routes to reach their destination.

The system has been built with a lot of customisable routing options allowing users to avoid specific obstacles such as stairs, ramps and grass, whilst preferring well lit areas and paved streets. The package includes POI data from DisabledGo who specialise in access guides to venues.

The key to this system is the quality of the data, incorporating more than just the road data, by virtue of the user base there is a much heavier reliance on the accuracy of the information provided. This is an area that has been improving at a rapid rate over the last few years and it is good to see it being put to such a worthy use.

Nick Caesari CEO of Navevo says "The live demonstration in London was an important step in raising awareness at the highest level of this type of technology for the mobility impaired and we look forward to making our barrier-free navigation system a reality for modern consumers in the very near future."

The full press release from Navevo:
Navevo and Thales Alenia Space develop world's first barrier-free navigation system for wheelchair users

Innovative in-car and personal navigation set to streamline travel for the mobility impaired


Letchworth, England, 4th April 2013: Navevo, the UK's leading navigation software specialists, has partnered with Thales Alenia Space, the European leader in satellite systems and a major player in orbital infrastructures, to develop the world's first barrier-free navigation system, offering wheelchair users a safe and reliable way of traversing both road and pedestrian routes to reach their destination. Backed by Gold Medallist Paralympian Peter Norfolk, Navevo looks set to make a real impact on personal navigation for those with motor impairment, and offers a wide range of features that take it far beyond traditional sat nav devices.

Navevo's partnership with Thales Alenia Space, one of the primary builders of Galileo (Europe's Global Navigation Satellite System), allows it to offer the most accurate personal navigation system available with positional accuracy of less than one meter (utilising correction data from the European Geostationary Navigation Overlay Service "EGNOS" , developed by Thales Alenia Space), enabling people with motor impairment to quickly and safely navigate while avoiding obstacles such as stairs, ramps and grassed areas. The advanced routing engine is fully customisable to allow users to select obstacles to avoid, as well allowing them to stick to well-lit streets and roads that are paved. It also includes a comprehensive library of POIs (Points Of Interest) using data from DisabledGo, a leading disability organisation that provides access guides to a wide range of venues in the UK, incorporating address and contact details alongside easy to read symbols and key access review data based on DisabledGo's surveyor visits and assessment.

Part of the INCLUSION project and co-funded by the GSA under the FP7 program, a framework through which the EU supports research and development opportunities, working prototypes of the product were recently demonstrated at the London European and Space expo, designed to showcase the GSA's investment on social inclusion to great acclaim. Present at the live demonstration were Antonio Tajani, Vice President of the European Commission, Magali Vaissiere, Director of Telecommunications and Integrated Applications of the European Space Agency, David Willets, the Minister of State for Universities and Science, Sergio Greco, vice-president and General Manager of the Navigation and Integrated Communications Business Unit at Thales Alenia Space Italia, and of course Gold Medallist, Peter Norfolk, with participants personally experiencing barrier-free navigation within an area of London.

"I was very impressed with the INCLUSION sat nav," said Peter Norfolk. "Being able to take it out of the car and use it to avoid kerbs and steps to find an accessible route is a fantastic benefit, and takes the worry out of visiting new places."

In addition to personal navigation, Navevo has also incorporated facilities for a more typical in-car solution with turn-by-turn voice guidance and clear route planning, but adds context-sensitive functionality such as locations for on-street disabled parking bays, disabled access car parks, toilet and leisure facilities. It also features a "carer alert", whereby at the press of a button a user can select the type of assistance they require before the terminal automatically sends a message to a service centre before being relayed to a chosen carer, along with the user's location.

"We are proud to be in a unique position to be able to bring together Thales Alenia Space's expertise in satellite navigation technologies and Navevo's experience with navigation software development," said Giovanni Guarino, INCLUSION Project Manager. "We're confident that this fruitful partnership and development of the ‘first ever' barrier free navigation device will provide very real benefits for the mobility impaired, and following a successful demonstration look forward to an equally successful launch in the near future."

"Our investment in the INCLUSION project, along with our partnership with Thales Alenia Space, demonstrates Navevo's ongoing commitment to develop innovative navigation solutions for the disability sector," said Navevo CEO Nick Caesari. "The live demonstration in London was an important step in raising awareness at the highest level of this type of technology for the mobility impaired and we look forward to making our barrier-free navigation system a reality for modern consumers in the very near future."

With Navevo putting the finishing touches on its new navigational aide, it is expected to release a retail version in the first half of 2013, with further details to follow.


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