Location Based Analyser

Many businesses need to understand their customers' behavior within their premises (e.g. within their shop), to answer questions such as: "How long do customers wait to get served?", "How much time does a customer spend in my shop?", "How many of the customers entering my shop visit it again (in %), and after how long do they return (on average)?"

Many methods have been previously implemented to try to answer these questions, such as: loyalty cards, computerized queue management etc. Wellness Telecom is participating on LBA project, which will provide a low-cost generic and privacy-friendly solution to this problem.

LBA uses a low cost wireless sensor network, able to locate and track Bluetooth and WIFI devices used by many mobile phones. The system locates and tracks mobile phones on the premises and uses the data to answer these and other questions, providing business intelligence solutions at a fraction of current prices. Then it is possible to know how many customers there are on a specific restaurant, the correlation between establishments or to build opening time-tables according to the people demand over the day. Moreover it is possible to incentive people to move from one point to another by means of Bluetooth messages. Our studies revealed that 80% of the customers are willing to enable their Bluetooth on the mobile phone to receive alerts about special prices, updated time-tables and general information. This allows the system to get location data of as many mobile devices as possible in a complete seamless way for the customer.

The system can be deployed in both indoor and outdoor environments, and does NOT retrieve any data with which the phone's owner may be identified. Currently the system is tested over an amusement park and retail shops in Spain, Switzerland and Singapore.

More info: http://www.wtelecom.es/iplusdplusi/proyectos.aspx#/iplusdplusi/proyectos/lba

Source: Wellness Telecom

The Second National CENTAC Congress of Accessibility Technologies

The National Center for Accessibility Technologies (CENTAC) organized the Second National CENTAC Congress of Accessibility Technologies on 18 October in the Monasterio de laCartuja, Andalusian Center of Contemporary Art in Seville.

The aim of this conference is to provide knowledge and practical experience of successful examples in the ICT market focused on accessibility to address the many aspects of thismultifaceted reality with the participation of consolidated entities, promising organizations and people with real experience in this area.

Its ultimate goal is to promote the development of accessibility technologies at enterprise, industry and services, to improve the lives of people with disabilities, their families and caregivers through new technologies and information technologies.

Some of the entities that participated in the conference are:

1. Code Factory, presented some of their solutions:

• Speak TV: This application allows people who are blind or visually impaired to use all thecommon features of digital television in an accessible manner.
• Mobile Accessibility: is a screen application that enables blind or low vision people using anAndroid phone with an intuitive, easy and simple manner.
• Mobile Speak: screen readers that consist of software applications installed on the mobile phone, allowing you to use the device even if the person cannot read the screen. The information that appears on the screen is represented as voice output.

2. Google, products and services were presented to improve accessibility: Accessibility Engineering:

• Screen Reader, Chrome Vox
• Full Screen Zoom
• Color Correction
• Google applications: Google Docs, Sites, Calendar, Gmail, etc.

All speakers agreed that a product adapted to the disability must be a useful product for everyone, not created exclusively for these people, a product reaches the market and make life easier for us all.

The main challenge is the transition from research to market, so it is very important to have the support of associations, including:

• CEAPAT: Reference Centre for Personal Autonomy and Technical Aids
• COCEMFE: Spanish Confederation of People with Physical and Organic Disabilities
• FIAPAS: Spanish Confederation of Deaf Families
• ONCE

It is very important that the design and development of products takes place taking into account the sector's needs and can respond to their requests with new products that fit their lifestyle. In this area, they propose to carry out surveys, interviews, workshops with the people for whom it is addressed the product. Thus they become part of the product life cycle being able to ensure market acceptance.

The key concepts are:

• Accessibility
• Usability
• Design for all