SOPAT: Servicio de Orientación Personalizada y Accesible para Turismo.

This project is related to the strategic action line of ‘Tourism related technologies’ with the aim of improving the existing signaling systems for tourists (of any language) and develop accessible systems in tourist accommodation to help overcome some disabilities (motor, audible, and visual). The consortium created for this project joins together experienced companies in the IT (TMT Factory, Signaletics) and academic research groups (La Salle, UPM, UC3M). SOPAT aims to characterize, develop and validate a new universal signaling system based on the complementary use of: (1) radio-electrical positioning signals emitted by the user (willingly or automatically by some device); and (2) keep natural interactions with the user in order to provide customized services and information. At the technological level, two configurations are raised based on respective communication channels, such as (a) a portable device (PDA), and (b) a fixed-position interface (SmartPoint). The applied positioning technology is the identification by radio frequency (RFID and ZigBee). The interaction subsystem counts on advanced UI elements (recognition and synthesis of speech, and natural language processing) and Natural Interaction models. Our group is involved in this project to provide Natural Interaction mechanisms, supported by a multi-agent platform (Ecosystem) and knowledge models cooperating on it. Among others, in this project can be highlighted the Situation Model (aimed to the management of the circumstances, and supported by spatio-temporal DB) and the Dialogue Model (for controlling and endow coherence to interaction; based on the Threads Model).