Category: Standard

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Awareness News Standard

Open Geospatial Consortium (OGC): Inclusive Indoor Navigation Systems

Working Together for the Common Good: Standardizing IMDF

OGC members, including Google, are supporting Apple’s, Indoor Mapping Data Format (IMDF) to be recognized as the industry’s standard for open indoor digital map information. Other Consortium Members including Autodesk, Esri, New York City Department of Information Technology and Telecommunications (DOITT), Ordnance Survey Limited, and Safe Software also supported the submission
IMDF enables mobile-compatible and user-friendly information for any indoor space, providing a basis for orientation, navigation, and the augmenting of an individual’s understanding of their surroundings.
Agreeing to an industry standard enables venues to share and/or register their location information to a multitude of navigation / wayfinding app developers. Essentially, marketing the venue and services it offers to the widest audience possible.
Apple IMDF Overview
“Indoor Mapping Data Format provides a generalized, yet comprehensive model for any indoor location, providing a basis for orientation, navigation and discovery. In the current release there are also detailed instructions for modeling the spaces of an airport, a shopping mall, and a train station.
Developers can access both text and visual examples of all features, along with clear explanations of all terms. IMDF conforms to RFC 7946, ensuring compatibility and transferability of the data. IMDF is lightweight, mobile friendly, and can be rendered on any device, OS, or browser.
For GIS and BIM specialists, there is support for IMDF in many of your favorite tools.
IMDF maps integrated with indoor positioning can establish the foundation for a wide range of consumer and enterprise location-based apps and websites.” (excerpt apple website)
Building owners and managers implementing the development of the digital mapping data, IMDF Standard for their venue. Along with the ITU and CTA international standards for creating inclusive audio-based indoor and outdoor navigation systems for all persons. Are not only addressing the spirit and regulatory requirements under the Accessible Canada Act. They are welcoming the 22% of working age Canadians with a disability to work, learn and enjoy the services and products supported at their location.For more information on the use and importance of standards for building welcoming, accessible, and inclusive environments for everyone. Contact Gateway Navigation at email partners@gnc3.com.
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Standard Tactile

TWSI: Part of The Story in Creating Inclusive Audio-Based Navigation Systems

City of Toronto and Ontarians with Disabilities Building More Accessible Communities

Tactile walkway surface indicators, TWSI, are one of the essential tools for creating accessible and inclusive public spaces. But what are they and how do planners choose the right options to implement?

Well, recently we were involved in several conversations on the selection and importance of tactile walkway surface indicators. Specifically, their application around bus stops, outward opening automatic doors and stairs.

Armed with these recent investigations. The following addresses some of the TWSI questions of what, why and how.

A visit to Wikipedia gives a high overview of the what and why. Saying , “tactile paving (also called Tenji blocks, truncated domes, detectable warnings, tactile ground surface indicators, tactile walking surface indicators, or detectable warning surfaces) is a system of textured ground surface indicator found on footpaths, stairs and train station platforms to assist pedestrians who are blind or visually impaired”. These tactile warnings…detectable by long cane or underfoot alert the traveller of approaching streets and hazardous surface or grade changes.

Which brings us to the how and as a former Banker and somewhat fact-based driven individual. My preference is having information backed up by real time evidence, testing and observation by an independent third party.

As such, koodos (kudos) to the City of Toronto and Ontarians with Disabilities, for creating a webpage that provides an in-depth analysis of various TWSI applications used and tested in the environment they will be applied.  The City of Ottawa have also adapted these findings to their TWSI planning initiatives. Using Toronto’s TWSI webpage in conjunction with the International organization of Standard ISO and the American with Disabilities Act ADA. Provides a solid base to begin design consideration and consultations with people who are blind and other stakeholders to create more inclusive local communities

Gateway Navigation consults on the design, implementation and ongoing monitoring for inclusive audio-based navigation systems integrating the architectural, graphic, audio and tactile elements of the built environment. Using a human centred approach promoting co-design and testing with the blind, deaf-blind and visually impaired community. For more information and to chat about accessibility and inclusion email us at: partners@gnc3.com

Link To Toronto TWSI Web Page
Categories
Innovation Standard

Standards: Inclusive Audio-Based Navigation Systems

Consumer Technology Association Logo

Standards for Inclusion and Equal Access for all Persons

Why Are Standards Important? One needs to look no further than to the emergence of the World Wide Web launched in 1989. A fully accessible platform that through a lack of standardization and best practices resulted in systemic barriers of access to the internet for people who are blind, deaf-blind or visually impaired. Although accessibility standards were published, by the World Wide Web, over a decade later in early 2000. It has not been a quick fix to poor design practices. Currently, of the one million most visited websites globally only one percent are fully accessible to users who are blind.

In 2015, learning from history and recognizing, the opportunity indoor audio-based navigation systems holds for people with vision loss and the importance of having industry accessibility standards in place at the start of a product’s development. A collaboration of individuals, organizations and stakeholders created the Wayfindr Open Standard for Accessible Indoor Audio-based Navigation Networks. Whose creation involved input from vision impairment organisations, academics, application developers and people who were blind or visually impaired. Using consensus and user-centred design with the help of a range of experts. The Standard gives building owners and application developers all the information they need to develop and deploy, well engineered and impactful, accessible audio navigation systems.

The International Telecommunications Union, a branch of the United Nations dealing with standards for telecommunications. In early 2017, the Wayfindr Open Standard was officially adopted as an ITU Recommendation, meaning it is officially recognised in 193 countries all over the world as the open standard for designing accessible and inclusive indoor and outdoor audio-based navigation networks.

In June 2019, the Consumer Technology Association, the US Trade Organization whose technology member companies represent an annual economic output of over $380 Billion US$ annually and support the employment of over 15 million Americans. Published the Inclusive Audio-Based Navigation Network Standard. As with the ITU TF.921 Recommendation. It builds on the standard in the context of the North American market. Providing a detailed road map for venue managers and app developers to create and implement inclusive audio-based navigation systems for all persons,

For more information on the standards and how they can be applied to create inclusive and accessible solutions by app developers, venue managers or users. Please contact us at Gateway Navigation CCC Ltd via email: partners@gnc3.com

View ITU Standard by clicking the link below:

ITU Standard Wayfindr Open Standard TF.921

View CTA Standard by clicking the link below:

CTA Standard Inclusive Audio-Based Navigation Networks for all Persons