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| 2003.01.21 |
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Field experiment of the "Indoor Navigation System" starts
- Guidance of visitors to exhibits with the Bluetooth technology -
The Hyogo Prefectural Museum of History (hereinafter, Museum of History, Location: Himeji, Hyogo, Curator: Nobuyuki Hata) and the NTT COMWARE CORPORATION (hereinafter, NTT COMWARE, Head Office: Minato-ku, Tokyo, President: Yuji Matsuo) will conduct a field experiment of the "Indoor Navigation System", which is a system that guides visitors to exhibits with the Bluetooth technology using portable terminal PDAs.
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Experiment period: January 28 (Tue) 2003 - February 28 (Fri)2003
[Field experiment outline]
The "Indoor Navigation System" consists of the "position accession server", the "information distribution server", and "access points" that allows transmissions from servers to information display terminal PDAs. When visitors search target exhibition corners and exhibits on the floor maps or on the exhibition list displayed on the PDA screen, guidance from the visitor's present position to the target location is conducted on the PDA screen. Also, when visitors approach exhibits, a list of nearby exhibits is displayed and when the exhibition of his/her choice is selected, it is possible to obtain a commentary via images or voice regarding that exhibit. PDA and earphone sets will be rented out to visitors who wish to be monitored and they will be asked to fill out a simple questionnaire afterwards.
[Roles and targets of the field experiment]
The Museum of History developed contents (descriptions of exhibits) for approximately 70 of its 1,100 permanent exhibits located within the museum to be used for this experiment. The contents are constructed using image data and commentary such as related literary documents. The contents are displayed on the PDA screen when the visitors approach the exhibits and it is also possible to listen to its commentary. The object of this experiment is to ensure convenience to the visitors with exhibition contents guidance and its aim is to contribute to the betterment of public services and the enhancement of culture.
By utilizing the 2.4Ghz frequency band radio transmission, NTT COMWARE has developed a system with the Bluetooth technology, which is a close range wireless transmission that networks terminal devices within an approximate 10m range. 44 Bluetooth antennas will be set up in the permanent exhibits room of the Museum of History and with real time transmissions between these numerous antennas and the PDA held by the visitors, the location of the PDA holder is determined and thus makes possible displays of that location on the displayed museum floor map.
Up until now, information, such as commentary within exhibition halls of museums, could sometimes be found in the form of displays on dedicated terminals using infra-red radiation. However, as a characteristic of infra-red radiation, the directional characteristic was strong and it was possible to obtain information in only very limited areas. With this experiment, in order to obtain information in area units using the omni directional antennas, its effectiveness can be judged and its practical application can be targeted.
[Development after the experiment]
The museum is scheduled to confirm the effectiveness of the "Indoor Navigation System" and to consider its installment and practical application depending on the results of this field experiment.
NTT COMWARE will promote this system as a practical system to museums and art galleries nationwide as well as considering its application in other fields.
System Outline
PDA Screen Image
[Presenter outline]
Hyogo Prefectural Museum of History
In April of 1983, with the objective of enhancing the Prefectural residents' understanding of the local history and to contribute to the development of education, academic study, and culture, the museum was opened within the property of the Himeji castle, a special historical location.
Within the museum not only is there a permanent exhibition room dedicated to the history, the castles and the fortresses of the Hyogo Prefecture as well as a video library, trial space, and reference corner, but various seminars and sessions as well as various businesses are also carried on. Furthermore, special exhibitions and program exhibitions are also conducted numerous times throughout the year. Visitors come not only from within the prefecture but from all over Japan and in the year 2001 a total of approximately 65,000 visitors visited the museum.
| Hours |
: 10:00 am - 5:00 pm |
| Closed |
: Every Monday (the following day if Monday is a holiday) |
| Location |
: 68 Honmachi, Himeji, Hyogo |
| Tel |
: 0792-88-9011 |
| URL |
: http://www.hyogo-c.ed.jp/~rekihaku-bo |
NTT COMWARE CORPORATION
NTT COMWARE was established in 1997 as an IT technology company of the NTT Group. NTT COMWARE has many achievements starting with the consistent tendering of establishments / maintenance / operations of telecommunications processing systems such as information networks and IT systems for over 60 million customers, which demands high transaction, high quality, and high efficiency. With its credibility backed up by high technical capabilities that covers network technologies, security technologies, UNIX / Linux, and Java, NTT COMWARE widely deploys total solutions to the IT market, from consulting to outsourcing services, as an IT service provider. There are 8 companies in the NTT COMWARE Group and this field experiment is a joint operation with the NTT COMWARE WEST CORPORATION (Head Office: Minato-ku, Osaka, President: Yoshiaki Yugen).
URL: http://www.nttcom.co.jp
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