Fourth Announcement ASK-IT International Conference
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Mobility for All – The Use of Ambient Intelligence in Addressing the
Mobility Needs of People with Impairments: The Case of ASK-IT

Nice, the French Riviera, 26-27 October, 2006

Boscolo Plaza Hotel, 12, Avenue de Verdun, Nice

The ASK-IT International conference marks the two year point of this EU research funded project. The conference will provide the opportunity to take stock of the progress made in ASK-IT so far. It will also provide a unique occasion for different stakeholders, whether it be telecom providers, industry, user representatives, research institutes or local authorities, to gather together to discuss the role of Information Communication Technology in aiding and improving the everyday lives of mobility impaired people. The conference will welcome high level speakers and experts from around the world that will look at various issues, such as making content accessible, accessible tools and Ambient Intelligence, and will provide state-of-the-art information on accessibility initiatives in Europe and beyond.ASK-IT –Ambient Intelligence System of Agents for Knowledge based and Integrated Services for Mobility Impaired Users

ASK-IT is an integrated project, partly funded by the European Commission under the 6th Framework Programme, e-Inclusion. The driving vision behind the ASK-IT project is to develop services based on Information Communication Technologies (ICT) that will allow Mobility Impaired people to live more independently. Through a device (mobile phone, PDA) users will have access to relevant and real-time information primarily for travelling but also whilst home, for work and leisure services. The emphasis is on a seamless service provision and a device that is intelligent enough to address the personal needs and preferences of the user. For example, information for a visually impaired person will be given orally, while for an illiterate person mostly in graphics. The project involves a demonstration phase during which the ASK-IT system will be tested and evaluated in 8 cities across Europe. ASK-IT involves 57 partners from a range of organisations, including industry, research institutes and European user associations and is coordinated by SIEMENS (Spain) and CERTH/HIT (Hellenic Institute of Transport, Greece).

Preliminary Conference Programme

Day 1: 26th October 2006

09:00 Registration and Coffee

Chairman: John Gill – Royal National Institute for the Blind
Welcome, President Alpes – Maritime Region (tbc) Welcome and Introduction, Maria Garcia – Siemens
Addressing the Mobility Needs of People with Impairments, Bruno Gaurier – Association des
Paralysés de France
EC Policy on e-Accessibility, Francois Junique, European Commission (tbc) The Role of the Industry in Design for All, Robert Sugar, Microsoft (tbc) Ontologies and models for service provision, John Bateman - University of Bremen (tbc) The ASK-IT Approach, Angelos Bekiaris – Hellenic Institute of Transport

Chairman: Karel Brookhuis – Delft University of Technology
Main speaker: Spyros Michailidis - EWORX

1.Paper Title:"Elderly and disabled travellers need of traveller information in public transport"
Author:Nina Waara
2.Paper Title:"New integrated services to increase accessibility and independent living of elderly and impaired citizens – suggestion for further activities"
Author:Pekka Eloranta, John D. Nelson - UNEW
3.Paper Title:"Providing Personalized Transportation Content Information to people with Mobility Impairments"
Author:Evangelia Gaitanidou, Evangelos Bekiaris - CERTH/HIT
4.Paper Title:"Development of the ASK-IT tourist information service: “Content requirements and available information” & “User requirements of Mobility Impaired people for increasing social contacts and building virtual communities "
Author:Sari Valjakka, Sascha M. Sommer, Marion Wiethoff, Karel Van Isacker, Fernao Beenkens - STAKES, IFADO, TUDELFT
5.Paper Title:"Ontologies for Mobility Impaired User Information Needs in the Domain of Tourism and Leisure"
Author:Dionisis Kehagias, Ioannis Tsampoulatidis, Petros Daras and Dimitrios Tzovaras - CERTH/ITI

Session A2: Route guidance for mobility impaired people

Chairman: Alexandros Mourouzis – FORTH
Main Speaker: Richard Fairchild, Chris Fowler – Indoor User localisation Using Wireless Sensor Networks – University of Newcastle upon Tyne (tbc)

1. Paper Title: "Trailblazers A collaborative pathfinding system"
Authors: Mark Thomé, Martin Stein, Piotr Wendt, Sven Stegelmeier - HAW
2.Paper Title: "Uni-access"
Author: Suzanne Hoadley, Polis
3.Paper Title: "WPs 2.2 and 2.3"
Author: Markus Kauber - PTV
4.Paper Title: "Inter-modal travel planning for wheelchair users"
Authors: Brigitte Ringbauer, Verena Schlegel - USTUTT
5.Paper Title: "Public transport navigator and information aid for the visually impaired"
Authors: Virtanen, Ari,Koskinen Sami - VTT

15:30 Coffee break

16:00 Exhibition and posters

17:30 End of Day 1

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Day 2: 27th October 2006

09:30 Session B1: Accessibility tools for the mobile user Chairman: Phil Blythe – University of Newcastle upon Tyne
Main speaker: Xiwen Zhang - Beratung und Planung im Verkehrswesen / Yuhang Zhang –
Beijing Municipal Office of Informatisation

1. Paper Title: "Evaluating Future Traveler Information Systems"
Authors: Amy Weihong Guo, Prof. Phil Blythe, Patrick Olivier, Pushpendra Singh, Hai Nam Ha, Daniel G. Jackson - UNEW
2.Paper Title: "How do I get to...? A dynamic information system that could help"
Authors: Marcela Wainstein, Nick Tyler University College London
3.Paper Title: "PDA wireless network connector for domotic services"
Authors: Gaeta E., Montalva J. B., Rodríguez A., Villalar J. L., Cabrera M. F.,Arredondo M. T. - UPM
4.Paper Title: "Domotic Systems: a Convenient Home Gateway for Enhanced Infomobility Services"
Author:Florent Genoux - SIGMA
5.Paper Title: "ADAS and IVICs for all"
Authors: Filippo Visintainer - CRF, Mary Panou - CERTH/HIT, Katia Pagle - ICCS

Session B2: Usability issues for the mobile user
Chairman:Hiroshi Kawamura – NRCD Research Institute
Main speaker: Alexandros Mouzouris – FORTH

1.Paper Title: "HCI research to examine how visually impaired (VI) people surf the web using adaptive technology and their issues"
Authors: M.M. Rana, T. Reynolds, M. Cirstea , A. Entecott, S. Gregory-Jones - Anglia Ruskin University
2.Paper Title: "The Methodology towards an Integrated Self-configurable User Interface for MI Users"
Authors: Maria Gemou, Evangelos Bekiaris - CERTH/ HIT
3.Paper Title: "Writing Support in Local and Web-based Applications"
Authors: Helmut Heck, Olaf Perlick, Dirk Clemens, Dirk Sischka - FTB
4.Paper Title: "Automatic rendering of Web content into audio: Tools for site developers and end-users"
Authors: A. Mourouzis, N. Partarakis, C. Doulgeraki, C. Stephanidis - FORTH

12:00 Lunch

13:30 Session C1: Ambient Intelligence in the services of accessibility
Chairman: Angelos Bekiaris – Hellenic Institute of Transport
Main speaker: Alejandro Rodríguez Ascaso – ETSI Telecomunicación

1. Paper Title: "Use Cases for ASK-IT"
Authors: Anabela Simoes, Ana Gomes, Evangelos Bekiaris - UTL, CERTH/HIT
2. Paper Title: "Agent Architecture for Providing Accessibility Content and Services in an Ambient Intelligence Context"
Authors: Pavlos Moraitis, Nikolaos Spanoudakis - SISO
3. Paper Title: "Ambient Intelligence Applications Enhancing Wellbeing"
Authors: Jaana Leikas & Sonja Kangas - VTT
4. Paper Title: "Accessibility through standardisation of ambient intelligent technology"
Author: Kristina Unverricht - ANEC
5. Paper Title: "Ambient services framework application in 8 sites"
Authors: Maria Panou, Evangelos Bekiaris, Marion Wiethoff - CERTH/HIT, TUDELFT
6. Paper Title: "A Personalised Web Search System by Information Recovery and SVM"
Authors:Gerardo Vega-Amabilis, Miguel Gonzalez-Mendoza, Neil Hernandez-Gress, Jaime Mora-Vargas – Division de Ingenieria y Arquitectura Tecnologico de Monterrey

Session C2: Accessibility initiatives in Europe
Chairman: Spyros Michailidis – EWORX
Main speaker: Alexio Picco – AMI Genoa, “Social activities in Genoa, particularly the "Piano Regolatore Sociale" (plan for actions in the field of social assistance) and Ms Valeria Schiavone – La Cruna "La Cruna and its activities"

1. Paper Title: "Reference System for Accessible Public Transportation with PAVIP"
Authors: Stefan Küng – Bones GmbH
2. Paper Title: "Call-based public transport services, founded on Universal Design Principles. The AKTA demonstrator in Møre og Romsdal, Norway"
Authors: Marianne Flø, Ørjan Tveit, Solveig Meland - SINTEF
3. Paper Title: "The West-Brabant Initiative;Towards an improvement of accessibility of public transport"
Authors: Drs. Ing. Don Guikink & Ing. Bart Winkel - DTV Consultants
4. Paper Title: "Travel information systems for people with sensory disabilities"
Authors: Marie-France Dessaigne, CERTU
5. Paper Title: "The Hague Smartline: Accessibility for the visually impaired"
Authors: Vincent van der Heijden, Toine Molenschot, Marion Wiethoff - CITY OF HAGUE, TUDELFT
15:30 Coffee

16:00 Session D:Concertation of Research Initiatives
Chairman: Xiwen Zhang – Beratung und Planung im Verkehrswesen/ Yuhang Zhang – Beijing Municipal Office of Informatisation
Main speaker: Liddy Nevile – La Trobe University, Sunrise Research Laboratory / Hiroshi Kawamura – NRCD Research Institute

1. Paper Title: "The R&D-project BAIM - Improved Information Services about Public Transport for People with Reduced Mobility"
Authors: Helmut Heck, Josef Becker - FTB
2. Paper Title: "MAPPED Mobilisation and Accessibility Planning for People with Disabilities"
Author: Gary Randall – BMT
17:00 Conclusions Angelos Bekiaris – Hellenic Institute of Transport

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Exhibition and sponsors

The conference exhibition area will be formally opened and form an integral part of the conference. Delegates will be given ample time to visit the exhibition area. For more information on the exhibition and rates please contact icre@polis-online.org

Scientific Committee

The speakers selected by the Scientific Committee from the call for papers will be announced soon. The scientific committee is made up of a panel of experts: Dr. Evangelos Bekiaris (Centre for Research and Technology Hellas/Hellenic Institute for Transport), Dr Constantine Stephanidis (Foundation for Research and Technology Hellas) Dr. Jan Ekberg (National Research and Development Centre for Welfare and Health), Dr Karel Brookhuis (Technical University Delft), Prof. Phil Blythe (University of Newcastle upon Tyne), Dr Alex Bullinger (Centre of Applied Technologies in neuroscience), Mr Guido Baten (from BIVV/CARA)

Venue

The conference takes place in the Boscolo Plaza Hotel, 12, Avenue de Verdun – 06000 Nice, Tel +33 (0)4 93 16 75 75, www.boscolohotels.com. A reservation form is available at the www.ask-it.org website.

For more information contact: POLIS, Ivo Cre, Rue du Trone 98, 1050 Brussels, Belgium, Tel: +32 2 500 56 76, Fax: +32 2 500 56 80, e-mail: icre@polis-online.org or visit http://www.ask-it.org to register.

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