Project - MOBILITY -- Mobile accessible floor plans

Overview

The MOBILITY project addressed a critical accessibility gap in digital indoor maps of public buildings, which are largely unusable for blind and visually impaired people. The project transformed existing digital floor plans into accessible, information-rich representations that can be explored via the web and mobile devices. By modelling maps as structured information rather than purely visual artefacts, MOBILITY enabled inclusive access for users with and without disabilities.

At the core of MOBILITY was the development of a novel map annotation framework that allowed to enter annotations on top of existing map plans and contextualise them with assistive information. The system supported both remote familiarisation with locations and on-the-spot orientation, significantly enhancing independent navigation in complex indoor environments such as railway stations and airports.

The technical approach relied on SVG-based maps enriched with semantic metadata and annotations, enabling automated transformation into accessible output formats. Indoor positioning was achieved using WiFi-based localisation on standard mobile devices, avoiding the need for expensive or specialised hardware. MOBILITY integrated location-based services and third-party information, such as timetables, to provide contextual and user-relevant guidance.

MOBILITY followed a human-centred design process, involving blind and visually impaired users throughout development and evaluation. With strong interest from major infrastructure operators such as Deutsche Bahn and Fraport, the project demonstrated clear market potential. Beyond accessibility, MOBILITY offered operators a scalable, service-oriented solution to improve customer experience while reducing reliance on human assistance services.

In the MOBILITY project, IN2 contributed its expertise in accessible media, semantic information modelling, and user-centred digital platforms to support the creation of inclusive indoor navigation services for blind and visually impaired users. IN2 focused on transforming digital floor plans into structured, semantically enriched information that could be accessed and explored beyond purely visual representations.

Alongside IN2, as the Coordinator of the project, the consortium was composed by the following partners:

• springtechno GmbH, Germany
• Technical University of Dresden, Germany

Associate Partners:

• FraPort AG, Germany