Informating the City Prospects for Improved Governance

1
MIT Research Symposium May 21, 2003Convention
of the Future Reference Project - Digital
Way-FindingNavigating the City and the
ConventionProf. Joseph Ferreira, Jr. MIT,
jf_at_mit.edu
2
Digital Way-Finding Navigating the City and the
Convention Joseph Ferreira, Jr., MIT

• Introduction
• My interests urban info systems, spatial
  analysis (maps, GIS),
• Digital Way-finding Mapquest, Geocities,
  Zaggats,
• Location-based Services nearest pizza parlor,
  ATM,
• Convention attendees Navigating exhibits
  city, buddy list, messaging
• Issues
• Technology, architecture, control, privacy, cost,
  
• MIT project examples
• ShuttleTrack, E-learning, E-Neighbors,
  MITOrthoTools,
• Convention-relevant opportunities
• Context-aware computing info for nearby
  exhibits, talks,
• Finding nearby friends visible only to session
  attendees,

3
Digital Way-Finding

• Mapquest geoprocessing
• ATM locators

4
Digital Way-Finding

• NextBus San Francisco
• Live location and time to next stop

5
Digital Way-Finding

• GPS monitoring of people/vehicle movement
• Amsterdam Realtime (Waag Society Esther Polak)
• 40-day average of participant locations

6
Digital Way-Finding

• Issues
• Technology
• Location/communication GPS, WiFi, Cellular,
• Client device PDA, Laptop, phone,
• Interoperability problems
• Architecture control
• Turn-key product cellphone add-in,
• Convention service, tourist bureau service,
  telecom service,
• Registration, authentication, billing,
• Privacy/security issues tracking people, sharing
  info,

7
MIT project examples

• ShuttleTrack
• E-learning
• E-neighbors

8
MIT project examples

• MITOrthoTools
• Fast server clips and mosaics high resolution
  images on demand
• Same server and images handles desktop, PDA,
  cellphone,
• Web Services with standardized call for imagery

9
Slip Imagery under mobile air quality data
10
Digital Way-Finding Navigating the City and the
Convention

• Convention-relevant opportunities
• Context-aware computing info for nearby
  exhibits, talks,
• Finding nearby friends who can/should keep
  track of whom
• Compatibility Must fit computing environment of
  attendee, convention center, sponsoring
  associations, vendor service, host city,
• Privacy Attendee must control access to
  realtime location data
• IF applications are delivered as value-added
  services on top of a common services layer then
• Applications are small
• Interoperability is enhanced
• Convention has unique value-added opportunities
• Possible Features
• Visible in city only to conference attendees
• Visible only to those who have been in the same
  sessions
• Where are more than 10 attendees congregating