Shadow as Route Quality Parameter in a Pedestrian-Tailored Mobile Application

Most of the applications for pedestrian navigation are based on information that is useful for car navigation systems, while the basic needs of pedestrians are seldom considered. We contribute to the current research in the field by proposing a pedestrian-tailored navigation application based on path attributes, that as of yet have not been considered in a pedestrian route calculation. We focus in particular on shaded paths, which are considered preferable during hot, sunny days, especially by pedestrians of advanced age, those with small children or persons that suffer from sensitivity to light. Evaluation results regarding the performance of the application provided a significantly better acceptance rate by the end users in terms of light intensity, amount of shade and positive affect that was derived from walking through the suggested routes.