Safe & sound

Abstract

Safe & Sound uses location-aware mobile phones to create a "virtual leash"; a secure zone beyond which a child may not travel. If the child leaves this zone, both child and parent receive audible alerts, and the parent can communicate with the child by voice over the phone. The peer-to-peer transmission of location, and the accepted role of responsibility by care-givers, reduce the privacy concerns which often arise with location-aware systems.

The impact of using location-based services with a behaviour-disordered child

“…For example, parents now use mobile phones more often to communicate with their children, although effective rules of engagement may not be firmly established. Technology has also been suggested for the monitoring of young children using Location Based Services [9]. Location Based Services (LBS) are defined as "services that take into account the geographic position of an entity" [6].…”

“…Location Based Services (LBS) are defined as "services that take into account the geographic position of an entity" [6]. Marmasse and Schmandt [9] developed a prototype to create a 'virtual leash' for a young child. This use of a mobile phone, with a Global Positioning System built in, allows a parent to specify where their child is allowed to roam.…”

Enable web‐based tracking and guiding by integrating location‐awareness with the world wide web

“…For instance, ActiveClass enables collaboration between students and professors for class interaction, and ActiveCampus Explorer uses a student's context, such as location, to help with his or her daily campus life. In the area of care, Safe & Sound (Marmasse and Schmandt, 2003) uses location‐aware mobile phones to create a “virtual leash” that allows parents to monitor their children's locations. In other areas, GeoNotes (Espinoza et al , 2001) argues that users should be allowed to participate as content providers and presents the content‐based and social filtering techniques to prevent information overload and user disturbance.…”