Recent work has identified the need to promote and advance the broad availability of disability-specific Geo-Data useful to enable accessible travel, transportation and tourism information services and mobility applications. The availability of new, open data sets allows new and interesting location-aware innovations. For example, the Tiramisu system in Pittsburgh, PA allows riders to crowd-source vehicle location and fullness as well as document positive and negative experiences while using local transit. Likewise, the IBM Accessibility City Tag (ACT!) project in Italy provides real-time accessibility information about local points of interest via a smartphone application. These systems use location-aware technology to support transportation users with disabilities, but also provide value to users without disabilities. The merging of Geo-Data with open databases, universal design, and mobile technology offers exciting opportunities for increased mobility. The proposed special session will convene representatives from the United States, Europe, and Asia to describe work in the area of Geo-Data for improved mobility by all. The session will include findings from a working group on the topic, examples of transformative applications, and suggested next steps that the public and private sector can take.

Invited Speakers: