Finding a Secure Place: A Map-Based Crowdsourcing System for People With Autism

Abstract

People with autism have idiosyncratic sensory experiences, which may impact on how they live the "spaces" of their everyday life. Starting from an investigation of their conception and experience of "secure places," we defined a series of user requirements for designing technology that supports their everyday movements in the urban environment. On the basis of such requirements, we developed an interactive system that leverages crowdsourcing mechanisms to map places that are perceived as secure by the population with autism.

Using consumer feedback from location-based services in PoI recommender systems for people with autism

“…Thus, a person with autism might want to avoid places that negatively impact her/his senses (Robertson and Simmons, 2013). These sensory aversions can cause negative feelings like anxiety, fatigue, sense of oppression (Rapp et al, 2020).…”

“There Isn’t Really Anything around Here…”: Autism, Education and the Experience of Families Living in Rural Coastal England

“…The closeness of community life meant that the needs of their child with autism were acknowledged and accepted, providing a sense of security, while the low population density allowed physical space and opportunities for seclusion. The openness of the physical space is especially important for individuals with autism who might have specific sensory needs and might feel anxious or overwhelmed in crowded urban environments [36].…”

Personalized Tourist Guide for People with Autism

“…Sight, smell and hearing are relevant to mobility in urban environments and high sensory stimulation negatively influences people in 1 www.dublinairport.com/at-the-airport/help-and-support/travelling-with-autism their movements. Further relevant environmental dimensions that could impact the sense of safeness are the temperature, openness, and crowding of a place [22]. Thus, following these insights, in the following we use the term "safe PoI" to indicate a place that is comfortable for the person; e.g., not too noisy, or not too crowded, according to the idiosyncratic user's sensory dispositions.…”

“…Ratings are in a [1,5] Likert scale in which 5 is the highest value. Sensory features have been defined on the basis of an authors' user study findings [22] and state-of-art researches [24,25]. The user can also provide a global evaluation of the place.…”