Article: Assistive technology for night blindness: a mobile application approach Journal: International Journal of Mobile Learning and Organisation (IJMLO) 2013 Vol.7 No.2 pp.140 - 157 Abstract: Night blindness is one of the commonly observed problems of the eyes around the world. The night blindness is estimated to affect 5.2 million preschool-age children. The increase in the night-blind population around the world demands technology assistance to those people for avoiding darkness. Lots of efforts so far have been put up by researchers to address different health issues with several mobile applications for providing assistance to affected people. The mobile application model to assist night-blind person is still one of the unaddressed issues by researchers. In this paper, we propose a mobile application model for night-blind persons to avoid them from travelling in darkness. The proposed application model is based on the difference of current time and sunset time. The proposed application uses difference of time function to proactively alert the night-blind person to reach safer place or destination before sunset. The application is useful for avoiding darkness. Inderscience Publishers - linking academia, business and industry through research

Title: Assistive technology for night blindness: a mobile application approach

Authors: Kamran Ahsan; Obaid Khan; Abdul Salam

Addresses: Department of Computer Science, Federal Urdu University of Arts, Science and Technology, Main University Road, MSC Block. 9, Gulshan-e-Iqbal 75300, Karachi, Pakistan ' Department of Computer Science, Federal Urdu University of Arts, Science and Technology, Main University Road, MSC Block. 9, Gulshan-e-Iqbal 75300, Karachi, Pakistan ' Department of Computer Science, Federal Urdu University of Arts, Science and Technology, Main University Road, MSC Block. 9, Gulshan-e-Iqbal 75300, Karachi, Pakistan

Abstract: Night blindness is one of the commonly observed problems of the eyes around the world. The night blindness is estimated to affect 5.2 million preschool-age children. The increase in the night-blind population around the world demands technology assistance to those people for avoiding darkness. Lots of efforts so far have been put up by researchers to address different health issues with several mobile applications for providing assistance to affected people. The mobile application model to assist night-blind person is still one of the unaddressed issues by researchers. In this paper, we propose a mobile application model for night-blind persons to avoid them from travelling in darkness. The proposed application model is based on the difference of current time and sunset time. The proposed application uses difference of time function to proactively alert the night-blind person to reach safer place or destination before sunset. The application is useful for avoiding darkness.

Keywords: night blindness; mobile technology; m-health; mobile healthcare; tourism; assistive technology; sunset times; twilight; darkness; night blind tourists; modelling; information flow; web services; user location.

DOI: 10.1504/IJMLO.2013.055619

International Journal of Mobile Learning and Organisation, 2013 Vol.7 No.2, pp.140 - 157

Received: 25 Dec 2012
Accepted: 25 May 2013
Published online: 20 Sep 2014 *

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Title: Assistive technology for night blindness: a mobile application approach

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