Use of highly accurate GPS in network-based barrier-free street map creation system

This paper presents the general architecture of geographic information systems (GIS) for assisting the users in creating barrier-free street maps by using the Internet and the highly accurate global positioning systems (GPS). The purpose of the system is to provide an effective tool for supporting the creation and the use of network-based barrier-free street maps for physically-handicapped people in wheelchairs. The wheelchairs are equipped with the GPS antenna and the tablet PC for computing the current positions with a cm-class accuracy to navigate the people in the streets. The server collects the positions from the wheelchairs moving around the local service area. The collection of data is stored and shared in the server after it is transformed into useful barrier-free information and integrated into the existing geographic information. To minimize the amount of the input by the users, the system relies on the intelligent information technology to construct the graphical structure of the maps and reason about the street conditions.