A Strolling Trip Support System Prompting Travellers’ Photography

Abstract

This paper introduces a smartphone-based strolling support system that encourages photography during a stroll in a city. The system determines high-frequency photography areas based on the positional information of pictures shared on the Web. When a user enters one of the determined areas, the system notifies the user by vibrating the smartphone. The system only displays the relative location of the area on the screen and it provides no detailed information such as maps and routes. This feature is designed to enhance users’ awareness of the surrounding environment. In user studies, eight participants examined their use while walking around the city. The user studies suggest that the information provided by the system attracts users’ attention to surrounding environments and increases the amount of photography during their walk, especially for the users who do not take many pictures.