Abstract

Abstract
In modern daily life people need to move, whether in business or leisure, sightseeing or addressing a meeting. Often this is done in familiar environments, but in some cases we need to find our way in unfamiliar scenarios. Visual impairment is a factor that greatly reduces mobility. Currently, the most widespread and used means by the visually impaired people are the white stick and the guide dog; however both present some limitations. With the recent advances in inclusive technology it is possible to extend the support given to people with visual impairment during their mobility. In this context we propose a system, named SmartVision, whose global objective is to give blind users the ability to move around in unfamiliar environments, whether indoor or outdoor, through a user friendly interface that is fed by a geographic information system (GIS). In this paper we propose the development of an electronic white cane that helps moving around, in both indoor and outdoor environments, providing contextualized geographical information using RFID technology. © 2010 TSI Press.

Abstract
Assistive technology enables people to achieve independence when performing daily tasks and it enhances their overall quality of life. Visual information is the basis for most navigational tasks, so visually impaired individuals are at disadvantage due to the lack of sufficient information about their surrounding environment. With recent advances in inclusive technology it is possible to extend the support given to people with visual disabilities in terms of their mobility. In this context we propose and describe the Blavigator project, whose global objective is to assist visually impaired people in their navigation on indoor and outdoor environments. This paper is focused mainly on the Computer Vision module of the Blavigator prototype. We propose an object collision detection algorithm based on disparity images. The proposed algorithm uses a 2D Ensemble Empirical Mode Decomposition image optimization algorithm and a two layer disparity image segmentation to detect nearby objects. (C) 2012 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. Selection and/or peer-review under responsibility of the Scientific Programme Committee of the 4th International Conference on Software Development for Enhancing Accessibility and Fighting Info-exclusion (DSAI 2012)

Abstract

Abstract
With the recent expansion of services available in the Web, the Internet is becoming more and more a network of services, at a global scale. These services cover the majority of business areas, such as: bank account management, trip reservation, hotel bookings, information search portals, social networks, etc. A related subarea is the georreferencing of objects and people. The appearance of services like Google Earth and Virtual Earth has created enormous Web based service creation opportunities, allowing the interconnection of the digital and real worlds. In this work we present a project intended for locating the physical places associated with a person, based on his email address. This project implements a search portal that associates a user to an email and a set of user defined locations.

Abstract
Electronic commerce is currently a world-wide phenomenon, with multiple impacts on the success and evolution of organizations of various business areas, due to its unique features that both challenge and revolutionize traditional entrepreneurial reasoning. However many enterprises have experienced difficulties with their e-commerce initiatives, either due to lack of information, or because of the innumerable difficulties found in the definition of an action plan. Recognizing the importance of a broad and deep understanding of the multiple aspects supporting and constraining e-commerce, a theoretical model that explains electronic commerce initiatives is proposed. The model was developed following a qualitative methodology known as Grounded Theory, whose purpose is to assist organizations in their e-commerce initiatives. The work led to the identification and description of factors that influence the adoption and exploitation of e-commerce in Portuguese organizations.