Addis ababa UNIVERSITY

ADDIS ABABA INSTITUTE OF

TECHNOLOGY
School of Electrical and Computer
Engineering

SEMESTER Project Proposal

GPS Based Information System for
The Visually Impaired

By: ABENEZER ALEMAYEHU

ANDUALEM HAILU

ETR/2486/03
Computer Stream
ETR/2466/03
Communication

Advisors Name: Getachew Teshome

November, 2014

Table of Contents
1.

Abstract................................................................................................................ 3

2.

Statement of the problem.................................................................................... 4

3.

Objective.............................................................................................................. 5

4.

Motivation............................................................................................................ 6

5.

Introduction and background............................................................................... 7

6.

Resources required............................................................................................. 10

7.

Cost breakdown................................................................................................. 11

8.

Thesis plan (time schedule)............................................................................... 12

9.

References......................................................................................................... 13

1.

Abstract

This thesis is supposed to help the visually impaired to navigate easily using
a GPS on GPS supported devices especially on Android smart phones. It
provides a voice message that tells them what they want to hear. That
includes location of hospitals, bus stops, taxi stations, train stations, cafes,
restaurants, and so on.
The thesis is based on an information server concept, which has usercentered and task oriented approach for solving informational needs of
special user groups. Information server with user interface acts as an
interpreter between the user and different information databases.
Keywords: Global Positioning System (GPS), Visually Impaired

2.

Statement of the problem

Usually visually impaired people face difficulties to travel alone. They always
need someone to assist them on their way especially on places they are not
familiar. They face difficulties in most of their day to day activities. They
cant take transport services by themselves, they cant access health
services unless guided by someone else, and they cant have the pleasure of
dining in a hotel if they dont know the place exactly, they cannot go to their
work places, schools, colleges and so on alone. For instance, if we examine
the problems a visually impaired person faces when using public transport,
we recognize the following list:

finding a station
finding an entrance to the station
navigating inside the station
finding the right platform and waiting place
knowing when the right vehicle arrives
finding a vehicle entrance
depart on the right stop
finding the destination

These are few of the many difficulties a visually impaired person faces in
his/her life. Other problems are that there are not enough materials written
in braille, the language a visually impaired people use to read, hence, it is
not easy for them to get new and enough information as sighted people do.

3.

Objective

The objective of this project is to develop an android application that assists

the visually impaired on their day to day activities using a GPS based
information system. Our main goal in developing this app is that the visually
impaired people no longer need to rely on others (they still might need some
assistance but this will decrease their dependence on others) to move freely
from place to place and that they can be able to navigate easily places they
dont already know. They can easily pick a transport service, they can easily
go to health stations, and they can easily go to their work places, schools
and wherever they want or need to go.
At the end of this application, we tend to provide the following results for the
visually impaired people:
They can know where their exact position is.
They can know shortest path to take them to some location using train,
bus or taxi.
They can find the nearest health stations.

4.

Motivation

The motivation for this thesis is our deepest interest in helping people to
navigate the beautiful and great city of Addis Ababa.
The visually impaired people are disadvantaged in navigating for transport
stations, navigating for a health station and we want to help them.

5.

Introduction and background

This project is an android application that tells a persons location using GPS
and helps in navigating through the city of Addis Ababa. As a precondition
the person must have an android smartphone. The project is subdivided into
two parts. The first part is for a visually impaired person and the second is
for a tourist. For the visually impaired the location are told with voices
The visually impaired commonly rely on a stick or a guide person to assist
them in efficiently reaching a desired destination without any harm. However
this approach is successful if the path taken is already known to the affected
person or the guide.
This application lets the visually impaired walk or travel through the city
easily with a little assistance. The application for the visually impaired person
will start by telling the current location they are at by voice and asks the user
what he/she want to do next. Since they cannot text what they want, the app
will tell them to press the numbered key for different service.
If the user chooses to press 1 to know the next locations, the system will
retrieve the nearest locations that can be traveled from the current location,
and again asks the user to press the assigned key for each locations. Once
the user presses the assigned key for a location he wants to go, the system
will calculate the shortest path to that specific location and tells the user the
path. The system will also tell the user the nearest taxi or train station.
When the app started and the current location is told, if the user had chosen
to press 2, the system will tell the user health stations in the area of the
current location. The system will ask which health station specifically the
user wants and the user answers by pressing the assigned key for the health
station he/she wants to go. As mentioned for the next location case the
system will calculate the shortest path to that specific location and tells the
user the path. The same goes for the Hotels and Restaurants case.
For instance, after the app tells their current location it will ask them for what
service they want by saying, press 1 for destination location, press 2 for
health station, press 3 for hotels and so on. Then if the person presses 1 the
app will continue by telling the locations they can go from their current
location. For example, if he/she is located at 4 kilo and he pressed 1, the app
will tell the user to press 1 to go to 6 kilo, press 2 to go to bole, press 3 to go
to Mexico and so on, if the user presses 1 the app will calculate the shortest
path to 6 kilo and tells the user the result.
7

The App Starts

Tell the user the

current location

Ask what the user wants to

do next.
Tell Hotels and restaurants around
your current location are as
follows.

Prompt the user to enter

their choice of action by
saying:

Prompt the user to enter their

choice of action by saying:

Press 1 for next locations

Press 2 for health stations
Press 3 for Hotels and

0 pressed

Buttons Pressed

1 pressed
Tell The location you can
go from current location are
as follows.
Prompt the user to enter
their choice of action by
saying:
Press 1 to go to location1
Press 2 to go to location2
Press 3 to go to

3 pressed

2 pressed

Press 1 to go to Hotel1
Press 2 to go to Hotel2
Press 3 to go to Caf and
Restaurant1 . . .
Press 0 to quit
Tell Health stations around
your current location are as
follows.
Prompt the user to enter
their choice of action by
saying:
Press 1 to go to HS1
Press 2 to go to HS2
Press 3 to go to HS3 . . .

Buttons Pressed

1/2/3 pressed
Calculate the shortest path
to the chosen location
from current location and
tell the user the where the
nearest taxi and train
stations are located

0 pressed
Exit the System

End

End

Fig 1: sample google map for the visually impaired person with pin point on
the current place

6.

Resources required

Books
Android mobile Operating system books
Video tutorial on android
The map of Addis Ababa
Test equipment
Android phone
Development systems

Eclipse for android

Java development kit (JDK)
My SQL Server
Android packages
Google map
Google satellite

10

7.

Cost breakdown

Component
Android phone
Transportation

Quantity
1
-

Price in birr
2000
1000
Total cost

3000 birr

11

8.
Plan

Thesis plan (time schedule)

Week
1

Designing the system X

Project Initial tasks
Finding and
installing
necessary software
Designing database
Learning tutorials
On Android
Designing the user
interface of
the
application

Week
2

Week
3

Week
4

Week
5

Week
6

Week
7

Week
8

X
X

X
X

Week
9

Week
10

X
X

Since Android is a new language for us, we will spend most of our time
on learning tutorials on it.
The schedule is subjected to change depending on the work load.
Week 1 starts on Monday November 17, 2014.

12

9. References

Google map
www.android.com
www.google.com.et google search on GPS
Google satellite
Addis Ababa city map

13