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1

Hermida, Jesús M., Santiago Meliá, Andrés Montoyo, and Jaime Gómez. "Developing Rich Internet Applications as Social Sites on the Semantic Web." International Journal of Systems and Service-Oriented Engineering 2, no. 4 (October 2011): 21–41. http://dx.doi.org/10.4018/jssoe.2011100102.

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Current Web 2.0 applications, either social sites or Rich Internet Applications, share several problems of interoperability when interconnecting different systems. It is therefore complicated to reuse (or export) the information between sources. In this context, where the value belongs to the data, not the application, the use of Semantic Web technologies opens a way of resolution with mature and standard technologies, thus leading to the Web 3.0. This paper presents the application of Sm4RIA (Semantic Models for RIA), a model-driven design methodology that facilitates the development of semantic RIAs (SRIA), to the design of social network sites. The SRIA approach introduced herein combines the main advantages present in each of the current trends on the Web. In addition to these benefits, the application of a model-driven methodology can speed up the development process and simplify the reuse of external sources of knowledge.
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Cheng, Qian Wen, Lei Zhou, and Hong Hua Cheng. "Design Method for Dynamic Map Symbols Based on RIA Environment." Applied Mechanics and Materials 321-324 (June 2013): 984–88. http://dx.doi.org/10.4028/www.scientific.net/amm.321-324.984.

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Although Geographic information system has just developed for decades, the course of its development is very rapid. The application and services of GIS technology have almost extended all the fields related to spatial information. Map, as the basis of GIS, its important position is self-evident. Map symbol is the language of the GIS map, which is the expression of the map content, the main medium of spatial-data information transferring, and an important feature differs from other images referring to the geographical environment. The function of Dynamic electronic map based on modern visualization tools, is far more superior to the traditional static map. Its expression is more rich and vivid, and introduces interactive operation into loading images, which enhanced the initiative and adaptability. The dynamic symbol is the basis of powerful visualization capabilities of dynamic map. With the support of the dynamic symbol, dynamic map is even more vivid and detailed. This paper is mainly about design method of dynamic map symbols based on rich Internet applications (Rich Internet Applications, abbreviation RIA). Take Flex as the case,which focus on the animation effect in Flex and achieves the dynamical substitution of point symbols on the map published by ArcGIS Server with ArcGIS API for Flex. Furthermore, look forward to the combined applications with web service.
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Wahyuningsih, Delpiah. "Pengembangan Sistem Pembimbing Akademik Secara Online Dengan Memanfaatkan Teknologi Rich Internet Application." SISFOTENIKA 7, no. 2 (August 21, 2017): 197. http://dx.doi.org/10.30700/jst.v7i2.144.

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<p>Bimbingan Akademik yang terjadi pada STMIK Atma Luhur saat ini ada tetapi manual dan tidak terkontrol. Kegiatan pembimbing akademik hanya untuk mengentri kartu rencana studi mahasiswa setiap semester, konsultasi KRS yang akan di ambil mahasiswa dan konsultasi masalah yang lainnya dipegang oleh mahasiswa yang bersangkutan sedangkan dosen pembimbing akademik tidak memegang rekap konsultasi bimbingan akademik dan jika ditanyakan kepada dosen pembimbing akademik masing-masing. Kadang mereka kehilangan daftar mahasiswa yang harus di konsultasi. Sistem pembimbing akademik yang berbasis website ini bertujuan untuk mengontrol mahasiswa yang di PA oleh dosen masing-masing dan data mahasiswa yang bimbingan terkontrol serta histori mahasiswa yang sudah bimbingan kepada dosen pembimbing akademik serta dosen pembimbing akademik dapat mencetak sewaktu-waktu data list mahasiswa yang bimbingan. Sistem PA ini dengan terapan teknologi Rich Internet Application (RIA) yang mempunyai karakteristik yaitu responsif dan interaktif. Penerapan rich internet application pada sistem pembimbing akademik yang berbasis website ini mampu berinteraksi dengan mahasiswa yang dibimbing dimanapun berada dengan karakteristik dari rich internet application yang interaktif dan responsif. Karakteristik RIA yang Interaktif pada sistem ini tersedia chat. Dimana memudahkan mahasiswa dan dosen pembimbing akademik untuk konsultasi. Sedangkan karakteristik responsif terdapat pada setiap link pada sistem, terutama pada form bimbingan.</p><p> </p><p>Kata kunci: rich internet application, pembimbing akademik, website</p><p> </p><p align="center"><strong><em>ABSTRACT</em></strong></p><p align="center"><em> </em></p><p><em>Academic Guidance happened to STMIK Atma Luhur currently exist but the manual and uncontrolled. Activity counselors only for mengentri card study plan students every semester, consultation KRS which will take students and consulting other problems held by the student while the supervisor of academic not hold recap consulting academic guidance and if asked the supervisor of academic respectively , Sometimes they lose the list of students who should be in consultation. System counselors based this website is intended to control the students in the PA by lecturers each and the student data is guidance control as well as a history student who had guidance to the supervisor of academic and faculty counselors can print at any time data list student guidance. The PA system with applied technologies of Rich Internet Application (RIA) that have characteristics that is responsive and interactive. Adoption of rich Internet applications on the system of academic counselors based website is able to interact with students everywhere are guided by the characteristics of rich Internet applications, interactive and responsive. Characteristics of the Interactive RIA on this system is available chat. Where facilitate student and faculty academic supervisor for consultation. While responsive characteristics contained in each link in the system, especially in the form of guidance. </em></p><p><em> </em></p><em>Keywords: rich Internet applications, academic supervisor, website</em>
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4

Kos, Alexander, and Hans-Jürgen Himmler. "CWM Global Search—The Internet Search Engine for Chemists and Biologists." Future Internet 2, no. 4 (December 3, 2010): 635–44. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/fi2040635.

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CWM Global Search is a meta-search engine allowing chemists and biologists to search the major chemical and biological databases on the Internet, by structure, synonyms, CAS Registry Numbers and free text. A meta-search engine is a search tool that sends user requests to several other search engines and/or databases and aggregates the results into a single list or displays them according to their source [1]. CWM Global Search is a web application that has many of the characteristics of desktop applications (also known as Rich Internet Application, RIA), and it runs on both Windows and Macintosh platforms. The application is one of the first RIA for scientists. The application can be started using the URL http://cwmglobalsearch.com/gsweb.
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5

Su, De Guo, Liang Wang, Xi Min Cui, and De Bao Yuan. "Active Online Thematic Map Cartography Based on Network." Advanced Materials Research 989-994 (July 2014): 4466–69. http://dx.doi.org/10.4028/www.scientific.net/amr.989-994.4466.

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This paper analyzes two important problems of thematic map cartography facing, namely which technique solution is appropriate and how to simplify the cartography process. Firstly, contrasts some popular technique solutions of thematic map, and points out the bottlenecks and inconveniences of thematic map cartography process nowadays, then brings out active online thematic map cartography based on the technique solution of RIA (Rich Internet Applications). In addition, this paper gives out RIA-based implementation framework of active online thematic maps mapping, which is contrasted with RIA-based implementation framework of general online thematic maps mapping, and main methods of building knowledge of active cartography of thematic map.
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6

Ying, Ming, and James Miller. "ART-Improving Execution Time for Flash Applications." International Journal of Systems and Service-Oriented Engineering 2, no. 1 (January 2011): 1–20. http://dx.doi.org/10.4018/jssoe.2011010101.

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Rich Internet Applications (RIA) require fast execution time and allow richer, faster, and more interactive experiences. Flash is a common technology for building RIAs. Flash programmers usually specialize in graphic design rather than programming. In addition, the tight schedule of projects makes the Flash programmers ignore non-functional characteristics such as the efficiency of their systems; yet, to enhance Flash users’ experiences, writing efficient ActionScript code is a key requirement. Flash programmers require automated support to assist with this key requirement. This paper proposes a refactoring system called ART (ActionScript Refactoring Tool) to provide automatic support for Flash programmers by rewriting their ActionScript code to make their applications faster.
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7

Roubi, Sarra, Mohammed Erramdani, and Samir Mbarki. "A Model Driven Approach based on Interaction Flow Modeling Language to Generate Rich Internet Applications." International Journal of Electrical and Computer Engineering (IJECE) 6, no. 6 (December 1, 2016): 3073. http://dx.doi.org/10.11591/ijece.v6i6.10541.

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<p><span lang="EN-US">A Rich Internet Applications (RIAs) combine the simplicity of the hypertext paradigm with the flexibility of desktop interfaces. These appliations were proposed as a solution to follow the rapid growth and evolution of the Graphical User Interfaces. However, RIAs are complex applications and their development requires designing and implementation which are time-consuming and the available tools are specialized in manual design. In this paper, we present a model driven approach to generat GUI for Rich Internet Application. The approach exploits the new language IFML recently adopted by the Object Management Group. We used frameworks and technologies known to Model-Driven Engineering, such as Eclipse Modeling Framework (EMF) for Meta-modeling, Query View Transformation (QVT) for model transformations and Acceleo for code generation. The approach allows to quickly and efficiently generating a RIA focusing on the graphical aspect of the application.</span></p>
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8

Roubi, Sarra, Mohammed Erramdani, and Samir Mbarki. "A Model Driven Approach based on Interaction Flow Modeling Language to Generate Rich Internet Applications." International Journal of Electrical and Computer Engineering (IJECE) 6, no. 6 (December 1, 2016): 3073. http://dx.doi.org/10.11591/ijece.v6i6.pp3073-3079.

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<p><span lang="EN-US">A Rich Internet Applications (RIAs) combine the simplicity of the hypertext paradigm with the flexibility of desktop interfaces. These appliations were proposed as a solution to follow the rapid growth and evolution of the Graphical User Interfaces. However, RIAs are complex applications and their development requires designing and implementation which are time-consuming and the available tools are specialized in manual design. In this paper, we present a model driven approach to generat GUI for Rich Internet Application. The approach exploits the new language IFML recently adopted by the Object Management Group. We used frameworks and technologies known to Model-Driven Engineering, such as Eclipse Modeling Framework (EMF) for Meta-modeling, Query View Transformation (QVT) for model transformations and Acceleo for code generation. The approach allows to quickly and efficiently generating a RIA focusing on the graphical aspect of the application.</span></p>
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9

Roubi, Sarra, Mohammed Erramdani, and Samir Mbarki. "A Model Driven Approach for generating Graphical User Interface for MVC Rich Internet Application." Computer and Information Science 9, no. 2 (April 19, 2016): 91. http://dx.doi.org/10.5539/cis.v9n2p91.

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<p><span style="font-size: 10.5pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 宋体; mso-font-kerning: 1.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-language: ZH-CN; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA;" lang="EN-US">Web applications have witnessed a significant improvement that exhibit advanced user interface behaviors and functionalities. Along with this evolution, Rich Internet Applications (RIAs) were proposed as a response to these necessities and have combined the richness and interactivity of desktop interfaces into the web distribution model. However, RIAs are complex applications and their development requires designing and implementation which are time-consuming and the available tools are specialized in manual design. In this paper, we present a new model driven approach in which we used well known Model-Driven Engineering (MDE) frameworks and technologies, such as Eclipse Modeling Framework (EMF), Graphical Modeling Framework (GMF), Query View Transformation (QVTo) and Acceleo to enable the design and the code automatic generation of the RIA. The method focus on simplifying the task for the designer and not necessary be aware of the implementation specification.</span></p>
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10

Yang, Fan, Tong Nian Shi, Han Chu, and Kun Wang. "The Design and Implementation of Parallel Algorithm Accelerator Based on CPU-GPU Collaborative Computing Environment." Advanced Materials Research 529 (June 2012): 408–12. http://dx.doi.org/10.4028/www.scientific.net/amr.529.408.

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With the rapid development of GPU in recent years, CPU-GPU collaborative computing has become an important technique in scientific research. In this paper, we introduce a cluster system design which based on CPU-GPU collaborative computing environment. This system is based on Intel Embedded Star Platform, and we expand a Computing-Node for it by connecting to high-speed network. Through OpenMP and MPI mixed programming, we integrate different algorithms meeting with the scientific computing and application computing by Master/Worker model and a software system which is based on RIA (Rich Internet Applications). In order to achieve high performance, we used a combination of software and hardware technology. The performance results show that the programs built with hybrid programming model have good performance and scalability.
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11

Tang, Ren Feng, and Yong Qiang Bai. "Research on Risk Comprehensive Evaluation System of Gas Supply Company Based on WebGIS." Applied Mechanics and Materials 204-208 (October 2012): 4332–35. http://dx.doi.org/10.4028/www.scientific.net/amm.204-208.4332.

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The normal and safe supply of gas is one key of the urban operations. The risk comprehensive evaluation of gas supply companies is even more important. According to the actual work needs, to construct the application system is indispensable based on the rich internet applications(RIA) and web-based GIS(WebGIS). Therefore the application system of risk comprehensive evaluation was established by taking gas supply company as main study object after analysis the application requirements and functions. Based on the WebGIS and representational state transfer(REST), the application framework was designed and the procedure of the risk comprehensive evaluation was drafted according to the evaluation works and the index model was constructed by the main risk factors. The application system meets the normal evaluation work, which can also be more useful for the company and government manager or decision maker.
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12

Yang, Z. L., J. Cao, K. Hu, Z. P. Gui, H. Y. Wu, and L. You. "DEVELOPING A CLOUD-BASED ONLINE GEOSPATIAL INFORMATION SHARING AND GEOPROCESSING PLATFORM TO FACILITATE COLLABORATIVE EDUCATION AND RESEARCH." ISPRS - International Archives of the Photogrammetry, Remote Sensing and Spatial Information Sciences XLI-B6 (June 17, 2016): 3–7. http://dx.doi.org/10.5194/isprsarchives-xli-b6-3-2016.

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Efficient online discovering and applying geospatial information resources (GIRs) is critical in Earth Science domain as while for cross-disciplinary applications. However, to achieve it is challenging due to the heterogeneity, complexity and privacy of online GIRs. In this article, GeoSquare, a collaborative online geospatial information sharing and geoprocessing platform, was developed to tackle this problem. Specifically, (1) GIRs registration and multi-view query functions allow users to publish and discover GIRs more effectively. (2) Online geoprocessing and real-time execution status checking help users process data and conduct analysis without pre-installation of cumbersome professional tools on their own machines. (3) A service chain orchestration function enables domain experts to contribute and share their domain knowledge with community members through workflow modeling. (4) User inventory management allows registered users to collect and manage their own GIRs, monitor their execution status, and track their own geoprocessing histories. Besides, to enhance the flexibility and capacity of GeoSquare, distributed storage and cloud computing technologies are employed. To support interactive teaching and training, GeoSquare adopts the rich internet application (RIA) technology to create user-friendly graphical user interface (GUI). Results show that GeoSquare can integrate and foster collaboration between dispersed GIRs, computing resources and people. Subsequently, educators and researchers can share and exchange resources in an efficient and harmonious way.
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Yang, Z. L., J. Cao, K. Hu, Z. P. Gui, H. Y. Wu, and L. You. "DEVELOPING A CLOUD-BASED ONLINE GEOSPATIAL INFORMATION SHARING AND GEOPROCESSING PLATFORM TO FACILITATE COLLABORATIVE EDUCATION AND RESEARCH." ISPRS - International Archives of the Photogrammetry, Remote Sensing and Spatial Information Sciences XLI-B6 (June 17, 2016): 3–7. http://dx.doi.org/10.5194/isprs-archives-xli-b6-3-2016.

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Efficient online discovering and applying geospatial information resources (GIRs) is critical in Earth Science domain as while for cross-disciplinary applications. However, to achieve it is challenging due to the heterogeneity, complexity and privacy of online GIRs. In this article, GeoSquare, a collaborative online geospatial information sharing and geoprocessing platform, was developed to tackle this problem. Specifically, (1) GIRs registration and multi-view query functions allow users to publish and discover GIRs more effectively. (2) Online geoprocessing and real-time execution status checking help users process data and conduct analysis without pre-installation of cumbersome professional tools on their own machines. (3) A service chain orchestration function enables domain experts to contribute and share their domain knowledge with community members through workflow modeling. (4) User inventory management allows registered users to collect and manage their own GIRs, monitor their execution status, and track their own geoprocessing histories. Besides, to enhance the flexibility and capacity of GeoSquare, distributed storage and cloud computing technologies are employed. To support interactive teaching and training, GeoSquare adopts the rich internet application (RIA) technology to create user-friendly graphical user interface (GUI). Results show that GeoSquare can integrate and foster collaboration between dispersed GIRs, computing resources and people. Subsequently, educators and researchers can share and exchange resources in an efficient and harmonious way.
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Nuñez, Guido, Daniel Bonhaure, Magalí González, Nathalie Aquino, and Luca Cernuzzi. "Model-Driven Approach to develop Rich Web Applications." CLEI Electronic Journal 21, no. 2 (August 1, 2018). http://dx.doi.org/10.19153/cleiej.21.2.4.

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Many Web applications have among their features the possibility of distributing their data and their business logic between the client and the server, also allowing an asynchronous communication between them. These features, originally associated with the arrival of Rich Internet Applications (RIA), remain particularly relevant and desirable. In the area of RIA, there are few proposals that simultaneously consider these features, adopt Model-Driven Development (MDD), and use implementation technologies based on scripting. In this work, we start from MoWebA, an MDD approach to web application development, and we extend it by defining a specific architecture model with RIA functionalities, supporting the previously mentioned features. We have defined the necessary metamodels and UML profiles, as well as transformation rules that allow you to generate code based on HTML5, Javascript, jQuery, jQuery Datatables and jQuery UI. The preliminary validation of the proposal shows positive evidences regarding the effectiveness, efficiency and satisfaction of the users with respect to the modeling and code generation processes of the proposal.
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TOFFETTI, GIOVANNI, SARA COMAI, JUAN CARLOS PRECIADO, and MARINO LINAJE. "STATE-OF-THE-ART AND TRENDS IN THE SYSTEMATIC DEVELOPMENT OF RICH INTERNET APPLICATIONS." Journal of Web Engineering, October 5, 2020, 070–86. http://dx.doi.org/10.13052/jwe1540-9589.1014.

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Rich Internet Applications (RIAs) are widely adopted Web applications that add the richer interaction, presentation, and client-side computation capabilities of desktop applications to the Web. However, the evolution from Web applications towards RIAs comes at the cost of increased complexity in their development. For this reason, a wide variety of tools and technologies have been proposed in order to streamline their development effort. This paper investigates the current state of the art of the RIA development approaches. The review shows that the current industrial development practice lacks a comprehensive approach to RIA development, supporting all the development steps from the design to implementation, test and maintenance, and helping identifying correct design choices. This is in part due to the severe fragmentation of current RIA technologies that prevents the adoption of a commonly recognized set of best practices resulting in ad-hoc development processes. These aspects are in part treated by research methodologies and some innovative industrial solutions, but also these approaches present some limitations. The paper identifies future research directions for RIAs to fully support their development process and to support their design in a more comprehensive and systematic way, from both industrial and research perspectives.
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Bonhaure, Daniel, Magalí González, Nathalie Aquino, Luca Cernuzzi, and Claudia Pons. "Exploring Model-to-Model Transformations for RIA Architectures by means of a Systematic Mapping Study." CLEI Electronic Journal 20, no. 3 (December 1, 2017). http://dx.doi.org/10.19153/cleiej.20.3.5.

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This study focuses on model-to-model -- M2M -- transformations, as part of the Model-Driven Development -- MDD -- approach, for Rich Internet Applications -- RIA.The main aim of this study is to identify fields that require further contributions, and/or research opportunities in the previously mentioned context.We applied mapping studies techniques, since these techniques use the same basic methodology as reviews but are more general and aimed at discovering what the research trends are, allowing to identify gaps in the literature.From an initial set of 132 papers, we selected 30 papers first. Then, thanks to experts' suggestion, we added 3 additional papers. Therefore, we considered 33 research papers. The performed analysis led to various considerations. Among the important ones, we can mention: there are many newly proposed methods, the scarcity of rigorous and formal validation of such methods, the problem of the portability of Platform Independent Models -- PIM, and the low number of tools available for MDD.
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Gunawan, Nathaniel, Gani Indriyanta, and Willy Sudiarto Raharjo. "PROGRAM VIDEO CALL BERBASIS PEER TO PEER MENGGUNAKAN PROTOKOL RTMFP." Jurnal Informatika 11, no. 1 (November 12, 2015). http://dx.doi.org/10.21460/inf.2015.111.425.

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The rapid development of information technology-based communication to encourage the development of video conferencing applications to a variety of media platforms. One of the media that is easily accessible is a web application development based RIA (Rich Internet Application). In this study developed a flash-based video conferencing application to utilize the net class group in ActionScript 3.0 and multimedia protocols RTMFP (Real Time Media Flow Protocol). Streaming video delivery technology requires codecs to be able to transmit video and audio. To find out which one is suitable codec in the development of this application, the analysis is done where appropriate codec for video conferencing on the public network access in terms of the quality of the resulting. The conclusion of the implementation and analysis of three types of audio codecs and codec, is that the codec h.264 and h.264 base profile play a video codec that is suitable for public networks because it produces little noise when there is a lot of movement when compared to the Sorenson video codec.
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Jethani, Suneel. "Lists, Spatial Practice and Assistive Technologies for the Blind." M/C Journal 15, no. 5 (October 12, 2012). http://dx.doi.org/10.5204/mcj.558.

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IntroductionSupermarkets are functionally challenging environments for people with vision impairments. A supermarket is likely to house an average of 45,000 products in a median floor-space of 4,529 square meters and many visually impaired people are unable to shop without assistance, which greatly impedes personal independence (Nicholson et al.). The task of selecting goods in a supermarket is an “activity that is expressive of agency, identity and creativity” (Sutherland) from which many vision-impaired persons are excluded. In response to this, a number of proof of concept (demonstrating feasibility) and prototype assistive technologies are being developed which aim to use smart phones as potential sensorial aides for vision impaired persons. In this paper, I discuss two such prototypic technologies, Shop Talk and BlindShopping. I engage with this issue’s list theme by suggesting that, on the one hand, list making is a uniquely human activity that demonstrates our need for order, reliance on memory, reveals our idiosyncrasies, and provides insights into our private lives (Keaggy 12). On the other hand, lists feature in the creation of spatial inventories that represent physical environments (Perec 3-4, 9-10). The use of lists in the architecture of assistive technologies for shopping illuminates the interaction between these two modalities of list use where items contained in a list are not only textual but also cartographic elements that link the material and immaterial in space and time (Haber 63). I argue that despite the emancipatory potential of assistive shopping technologies, their efficacy in practical situations is highly dependent on the extent to which they can integrate a number of lists to produce representations of space that are meaningful for vision impaired users. I suggest that the extent to which these prototypes may translate to becoming commercially viable, widely adopted technologies is heavily reliant upon commercial and institutional infrastructures, data sources, and regulation. Thus, their design, manufacture and adoption-potential are shaped by the extent to which certain data inventories are accessible and made interoperable. To overcome such constraints, it is important to better understand the “spatial syntax” associated with the shopping task for a vision impaired person; that is, the connected ordering of real and virtual spatial elements that result in a supermarket as a knowable space within which an assisted “spatial practice” of shopping can occur (Kellerman 148, Lefebvre 16).In what follows, I use the concept of lists to discuss the production of supermarket-space in relation to the enabling and disabling potentials of assistive technologies. First, I discuss mobile digital technologies relative to disability and impairment and describe how the shopping task produces a disabling spatial practice. Second, I present a case study showing how assistive technologies function in aiding vision impaired users in completing the task of supermarket shopping. Third, I discuss various factors that may inhibit the liberating potential of technology assisted shopping by vision-impaired people. Addressing Shopping as a Disabling Spatial Practice Consider how a shopping list might inform one’s experience of supermarket space. The way shopping lists are written demonstrate the variability in the logic that governs list writing. As Bill Keaggy demonstrates in his found shopping list Web project and subsequent book, Milk, Eggs, Vodka, a shopping list may be written on a variety of materials, be arranged in a number of orientations, and the writer may use differing textual attributes, such as size or underlining to show emphasis. The writer may use longhand, abbreviate, write neatly, scribble, and use an array of alternate spelling and naming conventions. For example, items may be listed based on knowledge of the location of products, they may be arranged on a list as a result of an inventory of a pantry or fridge, or they may be copied in the order they appear in a recipe. Whilst shopping, some may follow strictly the order of their list, crossing back and forth between aisles. Some may work through their list item-by-item, perhaps forward scanning to achieve greater economies of time and space. As a person shops, their memory may be stimulated by visual cues reminding them of products they need that may not be included on their list. For the vision impaired, this task is near impossible to complete without the assistance of a relative, friend, agency volunteer, or store employee. Such forms of assistance are often unsatisfactory, as delays may be caused due to the unavailability of an assistant, or the assistant having limited literacy, knowledge, or patience to adequately meet the shopper’s needs. Home delivery services, though readily available, impede personal independence (Nicholson et al.). Katie Ellis and Mike Kent argue that “an impairment becomes a disability due to the impact of prevailing ableist social structures” (3). It can be said, then, that supermarkets function as a disability producing space for the vision impaired shopper. For the vision impaired, a supermarket is a “hegemonic modern visual infrastructure” where, for example, merchandisers may reposition items regularly to induce customers to explore areas of the shop that they wouldn’t usually, a move which adds to the difficulty faced by those customers with impaired vision who work on the assumption that items remain as they usually are (Schillmeier 161).In addressing this issue, much emphasis has been placed on the potential of mobile communications technologies in affording vision impaired users greater mobility and flexibility (Jolley 27). However, as Gerard Goggin argues, the adoption of mobile communication technologies has not necessarily “gone hand in hand with new personal and collective possibilities” given the limited access to standard features, even if the device is text-to-speech enabled (98). Issues with Digital Rights Management (DRM) limit the way a device accesses and reproduces information, and confusion over whether audio rights are needed to convert text-to-speech, impede the accessibility of mobile communications technologies for vision impaired users (Ellis and Kent 136). Accessibility and functionality issues like these arise out of the needs, desires, and expectations of the visually impaired as a user group being considered as an afterthought as opposed to a significant factor in the early phases of design and prototyping (Goggin 89). Thus, the development of assistive technologies for the vision impaired has been left to third parties who must adopt their solutions to fit within certain technical parameters. It is valuable to consider what is involved in the task of shopping in order to appreciate the considerations that must be made in the design of shopping intended assistive technologies. Shopping generally consists of five sub-tasks: travelling to the store; finding items in-store; paying for and bagging items at the register; exiting the store and getting home; and, the often overlooked task of putting items away once at home. In this process supermarkets exhibit a “trichotomous spatial ontology” consisting of locomotor space that a shopper moves around the store, haptic space in the immediate vicinity of the shopper, and search space where individual products are located (Nicholson et al.). In completing these tasks, a shopper will constantly be moving through and switching between all three of these spaces. In the next section I examine how assistive technologies function in producing supermarkets as both enabling and disabling spaces for the vision impaired. Assistive Technologies for Vision Impaired ShoppersJason Farman (43) and Adriana de Douza e Silva both argue that in many ways spaces have always acted as information interfaces where data of all types can reside. Global Positioning System (GPS), Radio Frequency Identification (RFID), and Quick Response (QR) codes all allow for practically every spatial encounter to be an encounter with information. Site-specific and location-aware technologies address the desire for meaningful representations of space for use in everyday situations by the vision impaired. Further, the possibility of an “always-on” connection to spatial information via a mobile phone with WiFi or 3G connections transforms spatial experience by “enfolding remote [and latent] contexts inside the present context” (de Souza e Silva). A range of GPS navigation systems adapted for vision-impaired users are currently on the market. Typically, these systems convert GPS information into text-to-speech instructions and are either standalone devices, such as the Trekker Breeze, or they use the compass, accelerometer, and 3G or WiFi functions found on most smart phones, such as Loadstone. Whilst both these products are adequate in guiding a vision-impaired user from their home to a supermarket, there are significant differences in their interfaces and data architectures. Trekker Breeze is a standalone hardware device that produces talking menus, maps, and GPS information. While its navigation functionality relies on a worldwide radio-navigation system that uses a constellation of 24 satellites to triangulate one’s position (May and LaPierre 263-64), its map and text-to-speech functionality relies on data on a DVD provided with the unit. Loadstone is an open source software system for Nokia devices that has been developed within the vision-impaired community. Loadstone is built on GNU General Public License (GPL) software and is developed from private and user based funding; this overcomes the issue of Trekker Breeze’s reliance on trading policies and pricing models of the few global vendors of satellite navigation data. Both products have significant shortcomings if viewed in the broader context of the five sub-tasks involved in shopping described above. Trekker Breeze and Loadstone require that additional devices be connected to it. In the case of Trekker Breeze it is a tactile keypad, and with Loadstone it is an aftermarket screen reader. To function optimally, Trekker Breeze requires that routes be pre-recorded and, according to a review conducted by the American Foundation for the Blind, it requires a 30-minute warm up time to properly orient itself. Both Trekker Breeze and Loadstone allow users to create and share Points of Interest (POI) databases showing the location of various places along a given route. Non-standard or duplicated user generated content in POI databases may, however, have a negative effect on usability (Ellis and Kent 2). Furthermore, GPS-based navigation systems are accurate to approximately ten metres, which means that users must rely on their own mobility skills when they are required to change direction or stop for traffic. This issue with GPS accuracy is more pronounced when a vision-impaired user is approaching a supermarket where they are likely to encounter environmental hazards with greater frequency and both pedestrian and vehicular traffic in greater density. Here the relations between space defined and spaces poorly defined or undefined by the GPS device interact to produce the supermarket surrounds as a disabling space (Galloway). Prototype Systems for Supermarket Navigation and Product SelectionIn the discussion to follow, I look at two prototype systems using QR codes and RFID that are designed to be used in-store by vision-impaired shoppers. Shop Talk is a proof of concept system developed by researchers at Utah State University that uses synthetic verbal route directions to assist vision impaired shoppers with supermarket navigation, product search, and selection (Nicholson et al.). Its hardware consists of a portable computational unit, a numeric keypad, a wireless barcode scanner and base station, headphones for the user to receive the synthetic speech instructions, a USB hub to connect all the components, and a backpack to carry them (with the exception of the barcode scanner) which has been slightly modified with a plastic stabiliser to assist in correct positioning. Shop Talk represents the supermarket environment using two data structures. The first is comprised of two elements: a topological map of locomotor space that allows for directional labels of “left,” “right,” and “forward,” to be added to the supermarket floor plan; and, for navigation of haptic space, the supermarket inventory management system, which is used to create verbal descriptions of product information. The second data structure is a Barcode Connectivity Matrix (BCM), which associates each shelf barcode with several pieces of information such as aisle, aisle side, section, shelf, position, Universal Product Code (UPC) barcode, product description, and price. Nicholson et al. suggest that one of their “most immediate objectives for future work is to migrate the system to a more conventional mobile platform” such as a smart phone (see Mobile Shopping). The Personalisable Interactions with Resources on AMI-Enabled Mobile Dynamic Environments (PRIAmIDE) research group at the University of Deusto is also approaching Ambient Assisted Living (AAL) by exploring the smart phone’s sensing, communication, computing, and storage potential. As part of their work, the prototype system, BlindShopping, was developed to address the issue of assisted shopping using entirely off-the-shelf technology with minimal environmental adjustments to navigate the store and search, browse and select products (López-de-Ipiña et al. 34). Blind Shopping’s architecture is based on three components. Firstly, a navigation system provides the user with synthetic verbal instructions to users via headphones connected to the smart phone device being used in order to guide them around the store. This requires a RFID reader to be attached to the tip of the user’s white cane and road-marking-like RFID tag lines to be distributed throughout the aisles. A smartphone application processes the RFID data that is received by the smart phone via Bluetooth generating the verbal navigation commands as a result. Products are recognised by pointing a QR code reader enabled smart phone at an embossed code located on a shelf. The system is managed by a Rich Internet Application (RIA) interface, which operates by Web browser, and is used to register the RFID tags situated in the aisles and the QR codes located on shelves (López-de-Ipiña and 37-38). A typical use-scenario for Blind Shopping involves a user activating the system by tracing an “L” on the screen or issuing the “Location” voice command, which activates the supermarket navigation system which then asks the user to either touch an RFID floor marking with their cane or scan a QR code on a nearby shelf to orient the system. The application then asks the user to dictate the product or category of product that they wish to locate. The smart phone maintains a continuous Bluetooth connection with the RFID reader to keep track of user location at all times. By drawing a “P” or issuing the “Product” voice command, a user can switch the device into product recognition mode where the smart phone camera is pointed at an embossed QR code on a shelf to retrieve information about a product such as manufacturer, name, weight, and price, via synthetic speech (López-de-Ipiña et al. 38-39). Despite both systems aiming to operate with as little environmental adjustment as possible, as well as minimise the extent to which a supermarket would need to allocate infrastructural, administrative, and human resources to implementing assistive technologies for vision impaired shoppers, there will undoubtedly be significant establishment and maintenance costs associated with the adoption of production versions of systems resembling either prototype described in this paper. As both systems rely on data obtained from a server by invoking Web services, supermarkets would need to provide in-store WiFi. Further, both systems’ dependence on store inventory data would mean that commercial versions of either of these systems are likely to be supermarket specific or exclusive given that there will be policies in place that forbid access to inventory systems, which contain pricing information to third parties. Secondly, an assumption in the design of both prototypes is that the shopping task ends with the user arriving at home; this overlooks the important task of being able to recognise products in order to put them away or to use at a later time.The BCM and QR product recognition components of both respective prototypic systems associates information to products in order to assist users in the product search and selection sub-tasks. However, information such as use-by dates, discount offers, country of manufacture, country of manufacturer’s origin, nutritional information, and the labelling of products as Halal, Kosher, containing alcohol, nuts, gluten, lactose, phenylalanine, and so on, create further challenges in how different data sources are managed within the devices’ software architecture. The reliance of both systems on existing smartphone technology is also problematic. Changes in the production and uptake of mobile communication devices, and the software that they operate on, occurs rapidly. Once the fit-out of a retail space with the necessary instrumentation in order to accommodate a particular system has occurred, this system is unlikely to be able to cater to the requirement for frequent upgrades, as built environments are less flexible in the upgrading of their technological infrastructure (Kellerman 148). This sets up a scenario where the supermarket may persist as a disabling space due to a gap between the functional capacities of applications designed for mobile communication devices and the environments in which they are to be used. Lists and Disabling Spatial PracticeThe development and provision of access to assistive technologies and the data they rely upon is a commercial issue (Ellis and Kent 7). The use of assistive technologies in supermarket-spaces that rely on the inter-functional coordination of multiple inventories may have the unintended effect of excluding people with disabilities from access to legitimate content (Ellis and Kent 7). With de Certeau, we can ask of supermarket-space “What spatial practices correspond, in the area where discipline is manipulated, to these apparatuses that produce a disciplinary space?" (96).In designing assistive technologies, such as those discussed in this paper, developers must strive to achieve integration across multiple data inventories. Software architectures must be optimised to overcome issues relating to intellectual property, cross platform access, standardisation, fidelity, potential duplication, and mass-storage. This need for “cross sectioning,” however, “merely adds to the muddle” (Lefebvre 8). This is a predicament that only intensifies as space and objects in space become increasingly “representable” (Galloway), and as the impetus for the project of spatial politics for the vision impaired moves beyond representation to centre on access and meaning-making.ConclusionSupermarkets act as sites of hegemony, resistance, difference, and transformation, where the vision impaired and their allies resist the “repressive socialization of impaired bodies” through their own social movements relating to environmental accessibility and the technology assisted spatial practice of shopping (Gleeson 129). It is undeniable that the prototype technologies described in this paper, and those like it, indeed do have a great deal of emancipatory potential. However, it should be understood that these devices produce representations of supermarket-space as a simulation within a framework that attempts to mimic the real, and these representations are pre-determined by the industrial, technological, and regulatory forces that govern their production (Lefebvre 8). Thus, the potential of assistive technologies is dependent upon a range of constraints relating to data accessibility, and the interaction of various kinds of lists across the geographic area that surrounds the supermarket, locomotor, haptic, and search spaces of the supermarket, the home-space, and the internal spaces of a shopper’s imaginary. These interactions are important in contributing to the reproduction of disability in supermarkets through the use of assistive shopping technologies. The ways by which people make and read shopping lists complicate the relations between supermarket-space as location data and product inventories versus that which is intuited and experienced by a shopper (Sutherland). Not only should we be creating inventories of supermarket locomotor, haptic, and search spaces, the attention of developers working in this area of assistive technologies should look beyond the challenges of spatial representation and move towards a focus on issues of interoperability and expanded access of spatial inventory databases and data within and beyond supermarket-space.ReferencesDe Certeau, Michel. The Practice of Everyday Life. Berkeley: University of California Press, 1984. Print.De Souza e Silva, A. “From Cyber to Hybrid: Mobile Technologies As Interfaces of Hybrid Spaces.” Space and Culture 9.3 (2006): 261-78.Ellis, Katie, and Mike Kent. Disability and New Media. New York: Routledge, 2011.Farman, Jason. Mobile Interface Theory: Embodied Space and Locative Media. New York: Routledge, 2012.Galloway, Alexander. “Are Some Things Unrepresentable?” Theory, Culture and Society 28 (2011): 85-102.Gleeson, Brendan. Geographies of Disability. London: Routledge, 1999.Goggin, Gerard. Cell Phone Culture: Mobile Technology in Everyday Life. London: Routledge, 2006.Haber, Alex. “Mapping the Void in Perec’s Species of Spaces.” Tattered Fragments of the Map. Ed. Adam Katz and Brian Rosa. S.l.: Thelimitsoffun.org, 2009.Jolley, William M. When the Tide Comes in: Towards Accessible Telecommunications for People with Disabilities in Australia. Sydney: Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission, 2003.Keaggy, Bill. Milk Eggs Vodka: Grocery Lists Lost and Found. Cincinnati, Ohio: HOW Books, 2007.Kellerman, Aharon. Personal Mobilities. London: Routledge, 2006.Kleege, Georgia. “Blindness and Visual Culture: An Eyewitness Account.” The Disability Studies Reader. 2nd edition. Ed. Lennard J. Davis. New York: Routledge, 2006. 391-98.Lefebvre, Henri. The Production of Space. Oxford, UK: Blackwell, 1991.López-de-Ipiña, Diego, Tania Lorido, and Unai López. “Indoor Navigation and Product Recognition for Blind People Assisted Shopping.” Ambient Assisted Living. Ed. J. Bravo, R. Hervás, and V. Villarreal. Berlin: Springer-Verlag, 2011. 25-32. May, Michael, and Charles LaPierre. “Accessible Global Position System (GPS) and Related Orientation Technologies.” Assistive Technology for Visually Impaired and Blind People. Ed. Marion A. Hersh, and Michael A. Johnson. London: Springer-Verlag, 2008. 261-88. Nicholson, John, Vladimir Kulyukin, and Daniel Coster. “Shoptalk: Independent Blind Shopping Through Verbal Route Directions and Barcode Scans.” The Open Rehabilitation Journal 2.1 (2009): 11-23.Perec, Georges. Species of Spaces and Other Pieces. Trans. and Ed. John Sturrock. London: Penguin Books, 1997.Schillmeier, Michael W. J. Rethinking Disability: Bodies, Senses, and Things. New York: Routledge, 2010.Sutherland, I. “Mobile Media and the Socio-Technical Protocols of the Supermarket.” Australian Journal of Communication. 36.1 (2009): 73-84.
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