NaviSoc: A Socially Enhanced Real-Time Navigator

Abstract

As the usage of social networks becomes more and more ubiquitous and people commute more often today, social streams have become a valuable source for many kinds of applications. For example, the various social streams could be exploited for choosing the optimal path (e.g., the shortest and/or the fastest) to reach a desired destination. To this direction, we present a novel navigation system, called NaviSoc. NaviSoc is a location-based, context-aware recommendation system proposing dynamically and in real-time, the best route according to the user's context (e.g., preferences and budget). The system takes advantage of social streams in order to identify unprecedented (e.g., traffic jam, protest) or social events occurring in a specific place. Then, using this knowledge, the system dynamically readjusts the proposed navigation path. An initial evaluation, performed on the Greek island of Crete, demonstrates the feasibility of our solution and the benefits of our system.

TIP EXPRESS: An Android School Navigation Application

“…Most people will have had the experience of giving or receiving directions for navigating through an unfamiliar geographic environment. For example, visiting a foreign city for the first time, a tourist might ask a passer-by for directions to a hotel or visitor attraction [9]. In such situations, often what is required is not the shortest route to a destination but the simplest route in terms of how easy it is to explain, understand, memorize, or execute the navigation instructions.…”