In a nation which boasts more mobile phones than citizens, it can be
said that we all love technology. A little more so every day, thanks to
the daily use of the increasingly popular Smartphone. Equipped with
applications that make life easier to its users, the "advanced" mobile
phone has become a faithful companion, playing the role of secretary,
driver, prompter of encyclopedic knowledge (better still, wikipedic
knowledge), librarian and so on (or virtual shopping in IOS, Windows or
Android applications). Even the most reluctant to mobile technology are
learning every day to appreciate the advantages of its mere use.
And
so are people with vision loss who in fact take a bit more advantage of
what specific applications can offer in a simple and immediate way. One of
them in particular deserves to be mentioned also because it was developed
by one of the Institute for the Blind Francesco Cavazza's partners,
Giovanni Ciaffoni. It is called Ariadne GPS (www.ariadnegps.eu).
The
application, usable on the iOS platform, and therefore on iPhone and iPad,
offers people living with vision loss the possibility to actively consult
through touch a digital map, provided by major player Google, to obtain
information about street names, numbers, etc., and to explore
attractions around and predetermined points of interest (e.g., home,
office, bank) and their distances. VoiceOver allows the interaction
between the user and his Touchphone screen. Giovanni Ciaffoni developed
this program after his direct on-the-field experience.
In fact, as
part of his civil service, he spent time in the Institute's premises on
Via Castiglione right after he received his diploma in computer science
engineering. 
From then on, he has always maintained a steady
professional relationship with the Istituto Cavazza, dedicating himself to
the computer science activities that have for some time been an important
support to the Institute's end users.
This is where the idea came from
to develop an application which could offer an exclusive always-on-the-go
service, thanks to the evolution of computer science applied to mobile
phones in an everyday context guaranteed by full portability.
The
app, as is called a program to be installed and used on a
Smartphone, was approved by Apple (at the end of a selection process whose
rules are notably rigid) and made available in 2011 on the App
Store.
When activating Ariadne GPS, the user has the possibility to
know his position just by putting his finger on the screen of the device
showing the map, with a GPS accuracy which rarely produces errors of more
than a few meters. Moreover, the voice synthesis can direct the end user
towards a destination, and even provide regular position updates without
the necessity for more interactions with the mobile phone.
The
application is so innovative that Apple asked Giovanni Ciaffoni how he was
able to obtain such results.
His app was chosen as an example of innovation, and shown at the
Worldwide Developers Conference, held last June in California, by Apple's
CEO Tim Cook who succeeded legend Steve Jobs.
Giovanni Ciaffoni's
challenge is found in the everyday life: to constantly make innovations to
Ariadne GPS, thanks to the advice provided directly by end users to
improve their experience; and to continue his work in the Istituto
Cavazza's facilities in order to ensure blind people have access to the
advantages provided by the world of computer science, which are growing
increasingly valuable and necessary.