Hong Kong's visually-impaired pedestrians are getting a clearer view of the city's streets, thanks to a free new smartphone application launched by the Lands Department.
Like everyone, visually-impaired people like to get out of the house for a walk and to explore. However, their disability can make it difficult for them to know their exact location.
To solve this problem, the department has launched VoiceMapHK which tracks the user's location and provides information on nearby facilities via the phone's speaker or headphones.
It provides information on orientation and distance, and searches for nearby buildings, transport and points of interest.
The application lists 120 types of facilities, like libraries, public toilets, convenience stores, schools, MTR entries, and bus routes.
When the app is opened the “My Location” function allows the user to find their current position, then the “Nearby Environment” function tells them what facilities are nearby.
Demand driven
Lands Department Land Surveyor Chelsie Chan said several organisations for the visually impaired were consulted to find out what special functions were needed for the app.
"Visually-impaired users need a specific set of finger gestures to control phones and apps. For example, swipe right or left to select the next or previous item. Double-tap to activate the selected item. Also we can change the colour of the apps, with the selection of text in black with white background or text in yellow with black background. This is especially designed for people with colour blindness or colour weakness."
Lands Department Senior Land Surveyor Ng Wai-tak said the app's designers studied the habits of visually-impaired people and the daily difficulties they face. They also took into account the different way the visually impaired deal with orientation and direction.
"To meet their needs we had to rethink lots of issues. For example, people generally use left, right, front and back to describe direction. However, the visually-impaired use clock direction instead. It is much easier for them to understand."
New horizons
Kim Mok has been visually impaired since 13 years of age. Although he has always walked the same route from the MTR station to his office building, his disability limits his awareness of the local environment.
The app has lifted this restriction, and he can now accurately navigate the area around his office building and anywhere else in Hong Kong.
"I am happy. I can be more independent and improve my quality of life."
He said the data and functions in the app are well arranged, with the "My Location" function placed at the top as it is the most important to those with visual disability.
"When we are waiting for friends at some place, without this app, I cannot determine an accurate position, like which building or shops I am near. And I do not know whether I am at the right location and MTR access point. Now with this app I can get that information."
Mr Mok said he hopes more functions will be added to the app, such as point-to-point navigation, along with more data on districts where many visually-impaired people live, such as Shek Kip Mei, Wong Tai Sin and Kwun Tong.
The app is available in Chinese and English, and operates on iOS 8.1 or higher operating systems. The department said it will consider launching the app on the Android platform as well, and will study the possibility of adding more features in future.
