Actually, I am nt sure the issues with accuracy in most cases is the limits of
the GPS receivers especially since iPhone's use WiFi as additional
triangulation information as much as the OI databases. Since POI databases seem
to have street addresses rather than actual lat/long coordinates, and since the
GIS databases often just give ranges of addresses in a block there is a
significant error rate. My parents home had the largest address on the block
which ended in 32, but some GPS systems suggested it was an address that ended
in 52 and that the address ending in 32 was 300 yards down the street. Google
until last year thought my house was around the corner on a differentt street.
So my hope would be that the checkin process that Square requires would in well
visited areas cause the database to be more accurate.
I remember 5 years ago when I first got Sendaro on my Windows phone, walking
around in circles for 15 minutes because the restaurant I was looking for was
always 100 yards away. I tend to find that happens less often with my iPhone,
if it brings me to the wrong address it pretty much insists on that location
and does not wander around, except for when I am near a body of water.
So the question to get back to the original subject is do people find that they
have less stress finding a location using one of the three blind oriented
iPhone solutions over using a more main stream product?
Best wishes,
Jonathan
> On Mar 2, 2017, at 2:01 AM, David Chittenden <[email protected]> wrote:
>
> No, the blindness specific apps are subject to the current limitations of
> GPS, just like the lower cost alternatives. That said, EU's GPS system will
> be coming online fairly soon. With both systems working in concert, expected
> GPS accuracy is predicted to significantly increase to an average of one
> metre, rather than the current best of three metres which is occasionally
> obtained from the US system on a perfect day. Note: inclimate weather will
> always significantly reduce GPS as long as current technologies are being
> used. This has to do with how radio waves and atmospheric conditions
> interact, amongst other factors.
>
> David Chittenden, MSc, MRCAA
> Email: [email protected]
> Mobile: +64 21 2288 288
> Sent from my iPhone
>
>> On 2/03/2017, at 16:37, Jonathan C. Cohn <[email protected]> wrote:
>>
>> I have been putting off purchasing either of these apps. I was ready to
>> purchase BlindSquared when Nearby Explorer was first demonstrated, and i
>> have been debating if the bus time announcements were worth the cost of
>> Nearby Explorer.
>>
>> The major GPS issues i have with the low cost solutions I currently use is
>> for the last few yards and i am not sure either of these Apps will help.
>> Examples are is my bus stop here or at the next pole? Or when there are six
>> bus stops clustered near a train stop. Or thirdly where is the front of the
>> building i just walked ten blocks to.
>>
>> Best wishes,
>>
>> Jonathan Cohn
>>
>>> On Mar 1, 2017, at 4:15 PM, David Chittenden <[email protected]> wrote:
>>>
>>> For bus / train public transit, I very strongly encourage trying an app
>>> called moovit.
>>>
>>> Moovit is the only public transit app I have used which automatically, and
>>> consistently, announces the stop where I need to get off the bus just
>>> before the stop. It gives a couple announcements, one from a couple hundred
>>> metres before (at the previous bus stop (so one can trigger the stop
>>> request signal), and one when it is time to get off the bus. These
>>> announcements occur when the live route tracking is active. The walking
>>> between bus stops, to the first bus stop, and to the final destination, is
>>> not very good for the blind pedestrian, but the actual bus and train travel
>>> announcements are better than any other app I have used.
>>>
>>> Between bus stops, and to my destination, I usually use Apple Maps. My
>>> fiancé, on the other hand, prefers Google Maps. She is sighted, and finds
>>> its visual layout to be much more appealing.
>>>
>>> Kind regards,
>>>
>>> David Chittenden, MSc, MRCAA
>>> Email: [email protected]
>>> Mobile: +61 488 988 936
>>> Sent from my iPhone
>>>
>>>> On 2/03/2017, at 03:40, Jenine Stanley <[email protected]> wrote:
>>>>
>>>> Donna,
>>>>
>>>> The answer to your question really depends on how you plan to use GPS.
>>>> When you travel, do you walk or mostly ride in vehicles?
>>>>
>>>> If you walk, are you interested in planning routes to places or just
>>>> hearing the street names as you go?
>>>>
>>>> When you ride, are you usually the navigator for a driver or are you
>>>> taking public transit?
>>>>
>>>> both apps handle all of these tasks well but if you really want to plan
>>>> routes or look around easily virtually, I’d suggest spending the money on
>>>> Nearby Explorer. It does take up over 4gb on the phone but maps are
>>>> available when you don’t have coverage which is nice. If you ever worked
>>>> with the Trekker in its original form, this app is as close to its supreme
>>>> functionality and easy learning curve as anything I’ve seen.
>>>>
>>>> That said, if money is an issue and you just want to hear intersecting
>>>> streets and POIs, BlindSquare is great. It does much more but is a bit
>>>> more technical or involved in how it gets you there. It does not do route
>>>> planning in advance unless going through another app like Maps, Google
>>>> Maps or Seeing eye GPS.
>>>>
>>>> As always, just my opinions here. Your mileage will no doubt vary.
>>>>> On Mar 1, 2017, at 8:12 AM, Donna Goodin <[email protected]> wrote:
>>>>>
>>>>> Hi all,
>>>>>
>>>>> Now that we're moving back to a real city--at least relatively
>>>>> speaking--I'm thinking about using my phone a little more for GPS and
>>>>> related tasks. I'm thinking about nearby explorer, but it comes with a
>>>>> pretty hefty price tag. Does it offer any significant advantages over
>>>>> Blind Square?
>>>>> TIA,
>>>>> Donna
>>>>>
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