ASK-IT

The ASK-IT integrated project (2004-2008)
www.ask-it.org

About the project
Who can benefit from the ASK-IT service?
The objectives of the project
Publications

About the project

The aim of the ASK-IT project is to provide a service which promotes independence and mobility, by supporting seamless and personalised information provision. Simply put, the project partners are designing an ‘easy to use, one stop shop’ platform where information, specific to the end user's personal needs, can be accessed.

A user will be able to log onto the ASK-IT service through the internet and/or various mobile technologies (e.g. mobile phone, handheld PC). When the user first subscribes, a personal profile will be created. Then, by logging on, the user will be able to search for relevant information, such as information on travel, accessible transport and accommodation, events and sites of interest, and ‘how to’ advice on getting there. Setting up a personal profile means that only information specific to the user’s needs will be provided.

Information can be accessed through a combination of telecommunications services and other information and communication technologies: a mobile phone, a PDA, a notebook or a personal computer.

For a single journey a customer could potentially use a route guidance service, an electronic payment system and a personal assistance service. The customer could also be provided with information on accessibility features that he/she should expect to encounter en route and at the desired destination. Information and assistance could be provided before the customer leaves home, during the journey, or on arrival at the destination.

See below for a more detailed list of the project objectives.

ASK-IT stands for "Ambient Intelligence System of Agents for Knowledge-based and Integrated Services for Mobility Impaired users". The project consortium consists of 42 partners, from 13 different European countries, which represent main and prominent actors from the industrial and the research / academic sectors, as well as from the elderly and disabled communities, and end-users.

The ASK-IT project started in October 2004 and will run until September 2008. The first pilot phase of the project will begin in Summer 2007, where hundreds of end users (principally people with one or more physical, sensory, cognitive or language impairment) from all over Europe will be asked to provide feedback at the design stage. The full system and services will not be available until October 2008 or later.

Who can benefit from the ASK-IT service?

The ASK-IT project is aimed at helping 'mobility impaired' people. The concept of a 'mobility impairment', in the context of ASK-IT, extends beyond the traditional definitions of disability and ageing. It refers to any activity limitation that prohibits the free movement of a person. The term is, therefore, a broad definition that covers people with all different types of special requirement.

The ASK-IT system and services can be used by people with the following impairments:

ASK-IT could also apply to anyone who is, for example, over-weight, old, small, tall, pregnant, with heavy luggage, with many children, or to someone who is temporarily impaired after an accident or illness.

The objectives of the project:

to develop an open and modular service platform, offering a transparent central point from which to coordinate incoming end user data (user request) and outgoing service provider data (provider response)
to connect the new services to emerging ITS applications; e.g. EDGE, UMTS, and the combination of ATM and high speed wireless LANs through the provision of a mobile ad hoc network which will manage connectivity and ensure the most appropriate communications carrier is used for a particular service in a particular location.
to develop advanced key services, including their specific mobility impaired people related content and interfaces; e.g. navigation, localisation, route guidance, e-commerce, e-payment, personal assistance, e-learning, e-working, social relations and community building services, while facilitating their common-sense integration
to develop/interface the necessary e-content for such services, and build the business models, ontologies and web semantics for their seamless and integrated delivery in an "one stop shop" service
to develop an iPDA, based on intelligent mobile phones and PDAs, able to configure itself according to the specific needs of the person
to develop the appropriate gateway of this device to key assistive technologies (such as domotics, emergency management, driver support aids, computer accessibility, 3D walkthroughs and accessibility planning tools, etc.) and web services
to develop a Multi Agent System (MAS), to self-adapt the service profile (content and user interface) to the implicit and explicit needs and wants of mobility impaired users, as well as the context of use
to include appropriate and innovative user interfaces (UI) for the mobility impaired users, such as haptic interfaces, avatars that interact in sign language, Voice XML based VR, and intuitive semantics
to develop new business modes and rules (i.e. "Clearing" entity) for the provision of the new services.

Publications

Gill, J. M. (2007) Accessibility for Visitors

For more information (including newsletters, meeting and conference announcements), to join the ASK-IT mailing list or to view the project's progress, go to www.ask-it.org