Project Discover - Urban Sensory GPS Code

About 15% of global population deal with one or more disabilities. That affects directly on how they see themselves, and how they contribute socially and economically. One of the barriers to change this scene is the urban mobility, as a pedestrian. The Discover is an idea that will includes an interactive channel in YouTube; the development of a sensory GPS, that can be adapted for any interested city; and pretends to connect through workshops or speeches to physical rehabilitation centers and inclusive schools. The SEE-GPS technology will be available for mobile or watch, and that will permit disabled people to walk in any city alone and secure.  All points will improve independency in urban mobility, and will aware the community that: have a physical or a cognitive problem it is not the apocalypse for the rest of theirs lifes, it is just a little part of it.

The Discover with SEE-GPS will solve the challenge of be a disabled people, with blindness or low vision, and would like to be independent out of the bubble’s house. The city is a patchwork. It is difficult to go somewhere without assistance in this case. The SEE-GPS will be that one, and use not only maps, but sound noises, urban ventilation, and natural elements in landscape to orientation when change direction, or cross the street, and will can identify barriers like holes in sidewalks. According to WHO in 2018, 1.3 billion people live with some form of vision impairment. The history prove that because of the any different culture, some human rights, like come and go, are ignore when directed to this group. They were conditioned to stay in the shadows, dependent with others, and to not recognize themselves as a citizen.  Fortunately, it is changing and SEE-GPS will be one of tools. The solve  the urban mobility as a pedestrian for this group provides autonomy, turn them part of city, and affects automatically their social life and contribute as workforce not a problem.

Discover will be affected mainly people who are identified by her physical or cognitive characteristic. Could be children who born with a disability, a person who suffers an accident with sequels, soldiers who return home with a physical condition, refuges in the same condition and elderly people. Anyone who needs helps to drive herself in hers city or is just visiting one. The project preview an interactive social media, as a YouTube’s channel, and a Instagram’s profile, where will be possible to creative videos or debates about some points about accessibility, for an example. The other point are the integration directed with  ONU agents; government’s forces; humanitarian agentes and private institution who works with special education and physical rehabilitation. In addition, the technological side of Discover, the SEE-GPS, will in first moment directed for person with blindness or visual impairment or are considered elderly.

Discover is a project to discover itself independently of physical body, and discover her city, or another as a part of citizenship.The idea was divided in 3 points. First a YouTube’s channel, where will be  publish videos that will work with social awareness about disabilities, independency, accessibility, rehabilitation, alternative practice like adapted sports, adapted environment.  Second one, as a complementary idea, is use workshops and speeches that can link the not only the patient but the doctors, teachers, humanitarian forces  and community to not see disable people as a different and a health problem that the family will need to deal alone. In addition, the technological side of Discover, the SEE-GPS, will in first moment directed for person with blindness or visual impairment or are considered elderly. That one will consist in an adaptation of GPS technology to a sensory GPS one. To do that will be necessary to consider maps, sound noises, urban ventilation, and natural elements in landscape, inside of a study a urban design pattern linked to which city.

My solution is innovate, first, because it is not a technology created to change or manipulated something that it is considering out of patterns to be model inside them.. This is a technology based on studies that considering the  restrictions and physical conditions of blindness and visual impairment, social problems, particularly urban design to which city, natural elements, to  help that group to be accepted as part of society as who they really are. In other words, use something that turn their differences to help them to accept themselves and be independent using then physical restriction in them favor. Second, it innovate because it is not a group that normally will be consider to develop something good, mainly in countries that deals all the time with poverty. In addition, poverty it is a factor related to disabilities.  Third, I consider innovate because it solve a mobility problem in scale of pedestrian, not the transportation. And was a pedestrian who turn possible the really life of city

The technology side of Project Discover it is what I named as SEE-GPS, at the first moment. Please it is not a GPS exactly. It is a technology that will consider which Lynch described as a elements to recognize a space of a city, but adapted to a system that function as a sonar. That sensory GPS can help blind and low vision people to located themselves and know the directions to walk, and when it is secure to cross the street or when is necessary change the direction because has a built, urban furniture, or hole in sidewalk. This new technology will be create to connect to a cellphone or a digital watch at first moment, but the second stage is preview to be a watchband, with low price, and sustainable materials and will be connect to the adapted traffic lights. The SEE-GPS will consider in your full time analyses the natural elements in the city, or the points of attractiveness, the urban noises, ventilation of streets and cartography. The information would be transmit with a vibration or a color changing , It is a urban sensory guidance.

Considering only the mobility side of the project Discover, The new technology in development, SEE-GPS, will solve the problem because with this tool blind people will have the right information to go around the city with security and autonomy. This make possible explore the world, not only her house, that is only place the person or her family considers secure.  How can I affirm this? The development of SEE-GPS started as a part of my master thesis and I am one of the group who will be benefit with this. I am an exception.  I am architect and urbanist and only can see 5%, so it is a motivation to created something new to help us. I had an opportunity across the last 5 years, to travel in my holydays and tesed some elements I was thinking to use in this technology. I travel alone, to countries that do not speak my language, and I used the city scars, noise, ventilation, to memorize and read the cities. I studied before went out the points of attraction, and I was successful. The memory is something unpredictably, so transform this in something sensory is important because , maps do not inform when the pedestrian can cross streets, in some place is not secure to walk all the time with a cellphone in hands , and with  different visual fields to use a map is big challenge.

At this moment, the project Discover is leaving the paper, so I wait until the end of this year people will be impact with the channel. The technology, SEE-GPS, is under development. The first step of it will be publish as article soon. So, in Brazil 25% of population has visual impairment, and SEE-GPS, as others apps like Waze, is easy reach of audience.

Next year, I expect the YouTube’s channel of Project Discover it is a medium-sized channel. In addition, the development of SEE-GPS programming had finished, and in test phase. Thinking for 5 years from now, I hope the SEE-GPS was approved and financed and the tool is using out of my country, so making possible to use for travel and in everyday routine.

Those are the barriers:  Public Policies, historical culture, communication with the center that should be the first interested, financial to dedicated full time to project, people interested in the development in my country, low self-esteem and no different perspective of the people who will be affect in the society,  

The Public Policies, historical culture, low self-esteem and no different perspective of the people who will be affect in the society, and people interest in the  development in my country,  I pretend to solve using the YouTube to break patterns and development  an awareness about the problem and the changes that are possible to start in the neighborhood. Try to work with the humanitarian force in Brazil at the first moment. And in future, if I pass in National Exam and course of Diplomacy of my country introduce this question in conferences linked to the theme. The Financial, I will engage to contact companies and international universities that deals with the social problem, and if I won this challenge, it will probable appears some investors, that will complement the prize. In addiction the media in YouTube, can return some money too

At this time, I work alone.

Rayssa Araujo

Born with glaucoma in both eyes, I grew up with the challenge of visual impairment. Being an exception, I discover the real world when I went to study at the university. Before this time, I can say I lived in a bubble. My undergraduation was in Architeure and Urbanism, and since I have finished, I tried to develop the project.  In 2016, I started my master in urban and environment engineering; where I improve the project until this moment.

I am trying to develop a partnership with specialized schools and the humanitarian forces, unfortunately i was not successfull.

I am starting to study about this.

I consider that the channel in YouTube could provide a part of the money to help me to start the program of SEE-GPS. However, I am looking for companies, or groups (privates or from de government) who can help in this journey. Unfortunately I don’t have names from now.

The first step for a project like mine that the SOLVE can solve is a visibility in national and international scene. My country develop researches but the focus and funding is not accessbility, mainly in urban mobility.  The other point is the government of Brazil reduce investments in education and research inside the laboratory of   public universities. SOLVE can be the connection between me and engineering companies, it is an opportunity. And If I win, I will have funding to  develop full-time the project of SEE-GPS.

I am not considering using an AI in Project Discover – SEE GPS technology. However, the SEE-GPS, will be a technology that provide information in the sensory format, and how this information is read of a blind person is part of neuroscience. Consider that fact  if I win the prize, it will use to pay for other people help me to turn reality the technology. For that moment, I work alone and without funding. With a team specialized the process of the development will be faster and better. In other words I will invest in the project to develop not the first stage, connect to smartphones and watches, but to be one watchband similar the bands that Disney used inside the parks  that can change de color or vibration to indicate the information.

The technology that I would like to develop, SEE-GPS, is destined to be use mainly of people who are discriminated because of a physical characteristic. Considerable percentage of this group it is inevitable, first because born , second because are consequences of combats, and third because the medicine is advancing and the elderly people is growing in number, and with third age it is common serious problems with vision, and the routine’s adaptation. So, win the GM prize means turn the project reality fast and better, because I will contract people for the team, and  mainly, enable direct actions to test the product  if the interested group not onlu in Brazil, but all around  it is necessary.

Today I consider me a privileged person. In one side there is me; woman, 28 years old, born with low vision (5%), Architect and Urbanist and in the end of an urban engineering master program, the other side people with visual impairment  condition that in my age not finish the elementary school, even if studying in schools for blind people in my country, and relates me that the family and/or herself is afraid to go out alone. I believe that I can turn not only women, girls in these centers, but all of “students” a new one Rayssa Araujo. A person with dreams, a person that can make something better for another one, someone that will be not in shadow of society.  The project Discover will help a lot these persons. Do something independent, mainly in mobility, means a star in dignity. Win any prize in this stage of project, it will be a victory to persist and continue in road.