Section2 Advanced Road Traffic Services

Following the test in fiscal 2000, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport and the government of Osaka City jointly conducted a field trial of the pedestrian support system that use PDA terminals in the underground shopping mall of Umeda, where seven railway stations are located. In the test of 2000, visually disabled and non-disabled users moved along predetermined routes using the voice navigation system, which have been proved effective in the test in 2001 and then upgraded.

Three kinds of voice information were prepared for each of the visually disabled and non-disabled, which differed in precision of guidance (amount of information). Information was provided at crossings, entrances and exits of open spaces, and other principal points. A questionnaire survey on the monitors revealed the precision demanded by the users, the expressions that are easy to understand, and the voice navigation system that pedestrians require.