In this thesis we describe the integration of haptics into mobile location based services to ensure easy mobile spatial interaction. The main components of the thesis are shown in Figure 3 which indicates the chapters in which various components of the work are described.
Chapter 2 reviews literature about the various visualisation techniques in mobile
lo-cation based services. It highlights the need for a non-visual modality like audio and haptic feedback. The importance of considering spatial cognition and reducing informa-tion overload to allow mobile spatial interacinforma-tion as the secondary task is also discussed.
Then in Chapter 3, we define haptics and its current applications and use. Review of literature and previous work integrating haptics into location based services is discussed in detail. A few case-studies where the use of haptics as a modality for mobile spatial interaction can be integrated are highlighted in Chapter 4. The easy, low interaction use of the system is highlighted here. Haptics can be integrated to knowledge discov-ery using a mobile device and is outlined in Chapter 5 with the use of mobile as a GeoWand. The spatial interaction involves pointing and scanning of the area using a mobile device to gather information from the surroundings. Haptic feedback is used to provide spatial information like ‘distance to’ and the ‘density of’ available features that are selected by the user. The integration of haptic feedback into wayfinding tasks and pedestrian navigation applications is described in Chapter 6. 4 prototypes were developed to integrate four different ways in which a user would like to interact with the device for feedback while on the move in the real-world. Chapter 7 provides an overview about the integration of haptics into mobile based public transport systems to notify passengers about their destination stops and/or alert them about other features of interest as an in-bus service for public transport users especially tourists. The inte-gration of haptics into a Location Based Notification System is discussed in detail here with the description of a system for public transport users. Chapter 8 describes the user trials and experimental analysis carried out to validate the use of a haptics-based system in a physical environment and points out the key features and benefits of such an approach for information delivery through mobile devices with small screens. The thesis finally closes with Chapter 9 where we revisit the research questions addressed in the thesis, outline some of the possible directions for further research and concludes with a summary of the main contribution of this thesis.
In chapter 2, we discuss the various visual interfaces available and those that are in use currently in mobile location based services. The benefits and shortfalls of such visual interfaces are described by highlighting the key requirements of such mobile location based services for use by a user. The need for non-visual feedback which compliments the visual interfaces to help users navigate in the physical world is also addressed.
2 Mobile Location Based Services
2.1 Introduction
Mobile location based services (MLBS) are used by people on the move to get information about the physical space around them. A map based representation is the most popular form of delivering spatial information such as location, distance to features, direction to a destination and density of features in mobile location based services. While in an indoor computer desktop environment one can easily focus on the main task of interacting with a visual interface on the screen, the interaction with mobile devices on the move comes with various challenges. The various contexts of use of mobile devices vary a lot and could even change while in use. Raubal and Panov felt that by automatic map simplification and generalisation for visualisation of geographic information on mobile devices where only essential aspects of the map that is important for the user can be displayed (Raubal and Panov, 2009). This can ensure that only the relevant data that is required by the user on the move is displayed. Research by various authors in the field of Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) on small mobile devices highlight the fact that simplicity in design of the user interface and presentation of data in an easy to use manner is most important (Holland et al., 2002a; Pospischil et al., 2002;
Reichenbacher, 2001b).
Mobile location based services can be classified into the following, based on the kinds of spatial interaction features. They can
• facilitate navigation and wayfinding,
• create (contribute to information about that location) information about physical places or objects, and
• access information and services about physical places or objects.
Based on the application type of such services, we broadly classify mobile location based services into the following:
• knowledge discovery,
• pedestrian navigation and wayfinding, and
• notification/alert systems.
We discuss these three categories of MLBS in detail in Chapters 5, 6, and 7. In this chapter we look at the various visual and non-visual techniques to represent spatial information in mobile location based services. We then describe the key requirements and challenges in the use of MLBS. We also discuss the various shortfalls of such visual interfaces based on the challenges of using them in the real-world. We then conclude the chapter by highlighting the need of non-visual techniques for representing spatial data to users of mobile location based services.