Human Accessible
Mapping Applications
There is always a
different view.
Christian Heilmann, WhereCamp Sunnyvale
02.06.2007
http://icant.co.uk/articles/humanmaps

You can copy, distribute, transmit and remix this
if you attribute me and release it under the same
or similar licence.
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/

• I am terribly bad at reading maps
and driving instructions.
• Directions like “take the street
north” don’t work for me unless I
have a compass with me.
• Furthermore, I am normally not in a
car, but use public transport, cycle
or walk (London, eh?)

• However, I have a good photographic
memory.
• Instructions from me would be:
– Walk down the street towards the big
building with the crown on top.
– You’ll go past a sex shop on the right,
followed by a kebab place and a news
stand with a grumpy looking man with
a shaggy beard inside.
– After about 5 minutes and two bus
stops there’ll be a pub called “The
Swan”

http://www.flickr.com/photos/david_wilmot/6371141/

• These are human-readable
instructions, and they don’t have the
problems others have, which are:
– North, South, West and East are not
obvious when you don’t have a compass
– Street signs are amazingly expensive
and there is no real need to keep them
up-to date.
– Post codes are an approximation.

• Using these principles and GPS
devices we could create more human
instructions how to find your way
around.
• This could also be an accessibility
benefit.

• Humanware in Canada have
developed a GPS driven device for
blind people
• This device allows a person with a
disability to explore unknown
territory unaided.

• The problem is that instructions for
sighted people are not necessarily
the right ones for blind people.
• Good instructions are catered for the
person who needs them and written
by somebody with a similar
disposition.

• Therefore in order to come up with
really human-friendly map
applications and GPS devices we’ll
need to work on a format to define
them in.
• One option is to take a leaf out of the
book of SMIL.
• Use XML to define a time-line with
GPS data translated to the different
output formats.

• Last but not least, we need more
social mashups.
– Right now, local applications show
things like petrol stations, cafés, shops
and points of interest.

– Where is the information about clean
free public toilets*?
– Where are the hangouts of beautiful
single people?
– Where can I safely deposit my luggage
when I have 3 hours to kill before my
flight leaves?
– Where can I get the cheapest, but also
best quality “My son went to San
Francisco but all I got is this lousy T-
Shirt” shirt?
* http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/magazine/3919973.stm

Thanks!
rel=“me”
Christian Heilmann
http://wait-till-i.com
http://icant.co.uk
chris.heilmann@gmail.com
flickr/del.icio.us/twitter/skype:
codepo8