On 20 Aug 2016, at 15:38, M. Taylor <mk...@ucla.edu> wrote:
Hello Everyone,
I must say that I am extremely impressed with the Nearby Explorer, for iOS,
GPS navigation app, developed by the American Printing House for the Blind.
So, for your convenience, in either enjoying the app or determining whether
or not to purchase it, I am pasting in the complete text of its user
manual, below my signature line.
A couple of things to note, however:
1.
Currently, this app only supports navigation in the United States and Canada.
2.
At the time of this post, the cost of the app is, in the U.S. App Store
anyway, $79.99.
3.
In order to successfully install the app, which includes its built-in map
of North America, you must have at least 4GB of free space available on
your iOS device.
4.
The direct URL to the online user manual, which includes a in-page
hyperlinked table of contents, omitted in this post, is:
http://tech.aph.org/ne/index.html
5.
I have not edited the contents of this text in any way. I simply copied
the text from the website; therefore some of the formatting may not be
consistent with the HTML version of the manual.
Finally, to you old-timers out there, I am delighted to report that this
app reminds me a great deal of the groundbreaking, GPS navigation solution
for the blind and low vision that started it all; I am referring, of
course, to Code Factory’s Mobile Geo.
Okay, on to the show.
Enjoy and Happy & Safe Traveling,
Mark
Nearby Explorer for iOS User's Guide
Copyright 2016
American Printing House for the Blind, Inc.
2016/8/19
Introduction
When sighted people use a global positioning system (GPS), their main
interests are getting directions and/or guidance to a destination. Blind
users appreciate these features as well, but generally desire more
orientation queues than are available on commercial GPS apps. Nearby
Explorer is a GPS app designed to provide these queues. When combined with
an accessible interface and customizable, current information about points
of interest (POIs), the tools provide a meaningful picture of the vicinity
and its characteristics.
Nearby Explorer works by:
1.displaying a screen containing several geography-related categories,
letting you turn on the ones of interest (announced as you move). You can
put the phone to sleep and continue receiving feedback or examine the
values on the screen.
2.letting you orient the phone in various positions to get more targeted
information about: ◦points of interest (POIs),
◦direction and streets, and
◦the closest point of interest.
3.providing descriptive details such as: ◦intersection configurations as
you approach,
◦transit stop next time, direction of travel, and head sign for systems in
over 30 metro areas,
◦distance and adjustable direction to POIs, and
◦adjustable scope for prominence and proximity for POI announcements.
Features
The information that Nearby Explorer provides helps the blind traveler stay
oriented. It shows surrounding and approaching streets, businesses,
institutions, and public facilities, and offers continually updating
distance and directional information to the nearest or selected location.
Nearby Explorer provides a sense of the surrounding streets and their
relationship to the user's current position. Additionally, it enables the
passenger in a vehicle to aid the driver with directions and suggestions.
About This Manual
This documentation was complete and accurate at the time of its writing.
When there are updates or corrections, you may find them at
http://tech.aph.org/ne_info.htm.
There is also an email list dedicated to the use of this app. This is the
place to make suggestions, provide tips, and ask questions. To subscribe to
the list, send a blank email to ne-subscr...@tech.aph.org.
Adventurous users may wish to test upcoming features. To get more
information, join the beta list by sending a blank email to
"neios_beta-subscr...@tech.aph.org"mailto:neios_beta-subscr...@tech.aph.org.
For the purposes of this documentation, wherever possible, APH assumes your
basic knowledge of Voiceover (VO) and does not, with rare exception, convey
information in VO terminology. For example, a VO user, must know that you
double tap an option to turn it on. For basics on VoiceOver, see
https://www.apple.com/accessibility/ios/voiceover/
Limitations
To better understand the benefits and limitations of Nearby Explorer, it is
useful to obtain a basic understanding of how the technology works.
There are several components in play. Two of the most important are GPS and
maps.
GPS
The mobile device (phone or tablet) uses a GPS receiver to read signals
sent from an array of satellites designed for this purpose. The receiver
uses these signals to pinpoint a position on earth and assign lateral and
longitudinal coordinates to that position. In general, a good
consumer-grade receiver can render accuracy to within a few yards of a
person's actual position under optimal conditions. More realistically, you
can expect to achieve accuracy good enough to determine on which side of
the street you are traveling.
Some of the conditions that adversely affect accuracy with reading
satellite signals include the following:
•Low cloud cover
•Unusual atmospheric conditions, such as solar flares or magnetic storms
•Large buildings or physical landmarks that prevent a clear view of the sky
•Inside buildings or underground where there is no clear view of the sky
Maps
The latitude and longitude coordinates do not mean much to most users, so
they must be combined with maps that contain more familiar landmarks such
as streets and places. Nearby Explorer comes equipped with maps that cover
the United States and Canada.
Screenshot of a street map on Nearby Explorer
Figure 1. Screenshot of a street map
There are several factors about the map data that are useful to understand
to make the most effective use of the software.
•All the map data resides on your device, so it is not necessary to have a
Wi-Fi or cell-data connection to use the software. If you do have a network
connection, Nearby Explorer uses the connection to request information
about places in combination with the Google Places™ business listings
service. This information tends to be much more dynamic than that of the
maps on the device. Plus, you can label places as well as benefit from
others' labels.
•There are instances when the map data may be inaccurate. Because there are
millions of points of interest and other locations in the data, it is
possible that errors can be introduced during the collection process.
•Points of interest are indicated as the physical address of the street and
not at the front door of the establishment.
•Street addresses are approximate. They are calculated using a relative
distance from the beginning to the end of the block. You may notice,
therefore, that an address can be consistently off by a house number or
two. This is normal and cannot be corrected. While the address given as the
house number may not always be exact, it does stay constant. Accordingly,
once Nearby Explorer reports an address at a certain point in the block, it
consistently reports that same address at that same point.
•The compressed map data does not provide addresses to places. Addresses
for places are approximated, just like the street numbers.
•Changing conditions are not reflected in the maps. It is not unusual to
receive information for restaurants that no longer exist and to not receive
information for new establishments. The maps reflect the conditions at the
time of the data collection. These conditions are eventually corrected, as
the maps are updated periodically. Other conditions may be more immediate.
Road construction, traffic, and weather all represent conditions that
cannot be reflected in the data nor detected by the satellite signal.
•Places and Favorites do not account for altitude as part of their location.
You must pay attention to your environment. The data given from Nearby
Explorer are suggestions, not absolute facts. The present conditions and
immediate environment must always take precedence over Nearby's suggestions.
Requirements
Nearby Explorer requires the following:
1.iPhone, iPad, or iPod running iOS 9.0 or later
2.GPS receiver either on the device or via Bluetooth. (All iPhones contain
a GPS receiver.)
3.At least 4.2 GB of free space on which to store downloaded maps
When the GPS chip is in use, such as when using Nearby Explorer, battery
consumption is significantly increased. It is usually necessary to plug in
the device if using it on a long trip where the GPS is in use for more than
several hours at a time.
To reduce the GPS power consumption, press Nearby Explorer's Pause button.
This turns off tracking. Press the Resume button to resume using GPS. Using
an external GPS receiver can both improve accuracy and reduce battery
consumption.
If you do not move for 15 minutes, Nearby Explorer pauses use of GPS
automatically. To resume, press the Resume button or unlock the device and
activate Nearby Explorer if necessary.
Installation
When you start Nearby Explorer for the first time, it displays licensing
information that should be read carefully. If you understand and agree with
the terms, select the OK button to continue.
If the app detects it has no map data, Nearby Explorer checks to ensure
there is a Wi-Fi connection and downloads the maps.
You may use the app while maps download, but only limited functionality is
available until the download is completed.
Starting
When you start the application, Nearby Explorer displays the Nearby screen
and waits for positioning information from the GPS.
The Nearby screen contains a toolbar at the top with buttons for Pause,
Compass, GeoBeam, and Radius adjustments, and a toolbar at the bottom
containing buttons for Streets, Search, Favorites, and Transit.
Below the bottom toolbar is a collection of four tabs for Home, Map,
Settings, and Help.
The Home Tab shows the most used controls.
Between the two toolbars, the screen shows a list of information about your
current or virtual position. You use the list in one of two ways:
1.Examine the values interactively
2.Switch on ones you wish to hear automatically as they change
You may also adjust specific behavior for each list item by activating its
Context menu.
The items you turn on depend on how you wish to use the program.
While walking in an unfamiliar area, it is useful to turn on the street
address, street name, and possibly the nearest POI and its distance.
However, if you are riding in a car it may be too much to have street
numbers and distances to POIs announced.
You may want information that changes very infrequently to be checked. For
example, City, County, and State, are items that change so infrequently
that you may wish to have them selected at all times. If you use the Map
Tab, keeping these options enabled can provide useful information about
distant places without bothering you for local use.
It is important to keep "chatter" to a minimum. Since most of the
information from the Nearby screen is time sensitive, it is not useful to
have too much verbal communication. By the time you hear it, it would no
longer be relevant.
Nearby Screen Options
•Country
•State
•County
•City
•Zip Code
•"Heading":#Heading
•"Street Number":#StreetNum
•"Street Name":#StreetName
•"Approaching":#Approaching (streets)
•"Guidance":#Guidance
•"Nearby":#NearbyPlaces(Point of Interest or POI)
•"Nearby Position":#NearbyPlaces
•"Watch":#Watch(distance and direction to a watch point)
•Speed
•Altitude
•"Accuracy":#Accuracy
•Vertical Accuracy
In addition to turning on the items to monitor, you may use the Context
menu. The menu provides additional options for the selected item. Details
are explained in the section for each option.
To activate the Context menu with VoiceOver running, swipe down and select
the Show menu option or double tap and hold.
Heading
When the Heading item on the Nearby screen is on, Nearby Explorer announces
your direction of travel and continually updates it as you move. This
heading is derived by comparing the location of the last GPS reading with
the position of the current reading. This means that in order to get a
heading, you must be moving.
Nearby Explorer uses the heading to determine which streets you are
approaching as you move. When you stop moving, the heading becomes invalid,
and Nearby Explorer's Heading value goes blank.
Compass
In addition to obtaining heading information from the GPS, you may use the
compass to announce the direction you are facing.
To use the compass, hold the device vertically and point the camera in the
desired direction (as if you were taking a picture). Nearby Explorer
responds with a vibration and announcement of the direction.
In addition to the direction, the compass announces a list of streets that
intersect a line in the direction you point the device.
As you point the device in another direction, the speech function of the
compass silences, vibrates, and then announces the new information about
direction and streets.
To stop using the compass, move the device so it is no longer oriented
vertically. Nearby Explorer responds with another confirmation tone and
resumes obtaining the heading information from the GPS.
Note: By default, the compass only works while Nearby Explorer is the
program in use. This lets you use the phone or other software without any
concerns about the device's orientation. The Settings screen contains an
option to enable using Compass and Geobeam even when Nearby Explorer is in
the background.
Note: All other functions of Nearby Explorer remain active, even when you
start another program. If you do not want the position of the phone to
provide Compass feedback, turn off the Compass feature by selecting the
Compass Off button on the toolbar at the top of the screen.
Street Number
The Street Number option on the Nearby screen provides the closest house
number of the current position. As you move, the number changes to reflect
the new, closest address.
Nearby Explorer calculates street addresses by dividing a block into equal
segments and assigning a number to each segment. There are cases where this
approach can report a number that is one or two houses away from the actual
address. Take the example of a large business that occupies an entire
block. While its published address might be 900 Main Street, as you travel
down the block, Nearby Explorer reports 900, 902, 904, and so on, to the
end of the block and the official last number.
Choose Address Provider
Sometimes, you can get more precise street numbers by using an alternate
provider. Nearby Explorer offers the following providers:
•On-board maps
•Apple
The accuracy of each provider may depend on your area. One way to test the
accuracy is to see if the app gives you an accurate address for your house
or business.
To change providers, activate the Context menu, then select Address Provider.
Street Name
The Street Name option displays the street on which the user is currently
traveling. If this item is selected, the name of the street is announced
when you turn onto another street or when you enter a cross street.
When approaching a cross street, depending on the accuracy of the GPS
signal, Nearby Explorer announces the name of the cross street as you enter
the street. Inaccurate signals may make it announce the cross street either
before or after you enter or leave the street crossing.
To constantly update your street address while walking, turn on both the
Street Number and Street Name items. As you walk, Nearby Explorer announces
the street address but not the street name (because the street name is not
changing). With both options selected, when you approach and pass a cross
street, the app announces the name of the street and the closest house
number on that street. Often, Nearby Explorer announces an address from
each side of the cross street as you pass it. The first is the closest
house number on the side of the street on which you are traveling. As you
cross, the app announces the second number, which is the closest house
number on the far side of the street.
As you turn onto another street, Nearby Explorer announces the name of that
street as soon as it recognizes the new coordinates. This usually occurs
within a few seconds of the turn.
The street number and name announcements are two of the best ways to obtain
the most detailed information about your location. When combined with a
Nearby Places address, which is also approximated, you can easily determine
on which side of the street you are traveling and on which side the desired
destination is located.
Note: Poor GPS reception can result in misinformation, such as addresses
located on the wrong side of the street. If this happens, avoid setting any
Favorites until you obtain a better signal.
Parking Lots and Other "Off-Road" Locations
If you are not near a street, Nearby Explorer appends a distance and
direction to the nearest address. For example, if you turn south into a
parking lot at 100 Main Street and move away from the street, the program
adds a message, such as "29 yards north" to the street name announcement.
In this way, as you move south away from Main Street, the program announces
the address as "Main Street 29 yards north." This additional information
about the distance and direction is useful to determine the route back to
the road network in a park, parking lot, or other open area.
Occasionally, even though you are on a street, the program may announce the
street name as if you were away from the street. This usually occurs from a
poor satellite signal and ordinarily corrects itself unless atmospheric
conditions are extremely poor.
If you do not want to know how far away from the street you are, open the
Street item's Context menu and select Disable Off Road Indication.
How Addresses and Highways Work
In many US cities, the city is divided into quadrants with a street
separating the north quadrant from the south and a street separating the
east quadrant from the west. Any street that is west of the east/west line
often contains "W" in the name to indicate that it is west of the dividing
line between east and west. Similarly, streets east of the east/west line
often contain "E" in the name. The addresses begin at the east/west line
and increase as they move away from it in either direction. Thus, if the
east/west dividing line is Main Street, and Maple Street intersects Main,
the addresses west of Main would start with 100 and increase as you move
west. 400 W. Maple Street is west of 300 W. Maple Street. Similarly, the
addresses east of Main increase as you move east, so 200 E. Maple Street is
east of 100 E. Maple Street.
Often a block starts with an address such as 100 or 200 and increases to 99
before the next block begins, so addresses on a typical block range from
numbers such as 100 to 199 or 200 to 299. Of course, if a street is
particularly long, the street numbers might be a range of five digit
numbers such as 26800 to 26899.
Even-numbered addresses are on one side of the street, and odd numbers are
on the other side. Usually, 200 is straight across the street from 201. In
most cases, the even-numbered addresses fall on the south and west sides of
a street, and the odd-numbered addresses fall on the north and east sides.
Interstates and highways indicate their prevailing direction by their route
number. All the even-numbered interstates and highways generally travel
from east to west, and odd-numbered interstates and highways go from north
to south.
Even numbered interstates (east/west) are numbered smallest to largest,
starting in the south and increasing to 100 as you move north. For example,
Interstate 10 is the southernmost interstate. It runs from New Orleans to
Los Angeles. I-20 is north of I-10 and runs from Kent, Texas to Florence,
South Carolina.
Odd numbered interstates (north/south) are numbered lowest to highest
starting from the west coast and increasing as you move east. I-5 is on the
west coast, and I-95 is on the east coast.
When a city has an interstate that routes traffic circuitously around the
heart of the city, the interstate is given a three-digit number in the 200,
400, or 600 range. It derives its number from the interstate that it
branches from. In Dallas, for example, the LBJ Freeway is numbered I-635
because it loops around Dallas branching from I-35.
Interstates are marked with mile markers, one every mile. Mile markers on
an interstate begin at the border of each new state. They start with zero
at the southern border and increase as you move north for odd numbered or
north/south interstates. They start with zero at the western border of the
state increasing as you move east for the even numbered or east/west routes.
If an interstate does not start at the state's border, the mile markers
begin numbering at the start of the interstate.
The exits on an interstate are indicated by the mile marker. Exit 5 is
always located between mile marker 5 and 6. If there are two or more exits
within a mile, their designation includes both the mile marker and a suffix
letter. If there were three exits at marker 5, they would be labeled 5A,
5B, and 5C.
When you see exits in the map data, they are treated like streets, but the
street name is the exit number. Therefore, it is not uncommon to have
streets entering and exiting the interstate with names such as 8 or 8A.
Interstates are named with "I-" followed by the interstate number. I-40 E
refers to the eastbound lanes of Interstate 40.
US highways are labeled with the prefix "US-" followed by the route number.
US-67 refers to US Highway, Route 67.
State highways are named with the state abbreviation followed by the
highway number as in IN-62 for Indiana Highway 62.
County roads are labeled with "County Road" or some abbreviation such as
"CR" followed by the number of the road as in CR 1429.
Approaching
The Approaching option on the Nearby screen lets Nearby Explorer describe
upcoming intersections as you approach.
The app describes the next intersection as soon as you pass the current one.
If the cross street only intersects on one side, Nearby Explorer announces
either "Left Side" or "Right Side" after the name and before the distance.
If the street is a cross street, Nearby Explorer says the street name and
"ahead."
Distance Updates
In addition to announcing the side of the street, Nearby Explorer also
estimates and provides the distance to that intersection. As you approach
the street, the distance is updated to reflect your changing position.
Guidance
The Guidance setting displays the next maneuver to take (in the directions)
when you set a place as a destination. For example, it might say, "In 30
yards, turn left on Main Street."
To set a place as a Destination, follow these steps:
1.Activate the Search or Favorites button at the bottom of the screen. You
may also pick Recent Destinations from the Context menu for the Guidance
option.
The app displays a list of Places.
2.Activate the item of interest.
Nearby Explorer shows a menu of actions for favorites and searches. For
recent destinations, Nearby Explorer sets the destination immediately.
3.Select Set as Destination.
When you set a destination, Nearby Explorer announces the route type
(pedestrian or vehicle), and the side of the street of the destination.
Each time you set a destination, Nearby Explorer adds it to the list of
recent destinations. The program remembers the previous 20 places to which
you requested guidance.
When using the guidance function, keep in mind that streets are marked at
their center line. Therefore, when Nearby Explorer says, "Turn left on
Maple in 30 yards," you need to take into consideration the width of the
street.
Guidance and Directions
When you acquire a list of Favorites or search results, you can obtain
directions to that location or receive guidance as you travel there. These
directions and guidance are optimized for either pedestrian or vehicle
travel. To select pedestrian directions, select Pedestrian from the Route
Settings view in the Setting screen or the Guidance Context menu.
Route Settings
Route settings customize the kinds of routes and directions Nearby Explorer
creates. To change how Nearby Explorer calculates the route, select Route
Settings from the Settings menu or from the Guidance Context menu if a
route is active.
The route settings include route optimizations for pedestrian VS vehicle,
fastest time, shortest distance, or least turns (main roads) and switches
to let you specify highways, unpaved roads, toll roads, and ferries in the
route calculations.
Directions Option
To receive a list of directions, activate the POI. From the next menu,
choose Get Directions. Nearby Explorer displays a list of directions. At
the top of the list, Nearby Explorer shows the distance and time to the
destination. Each item in the list shows the direction and distance to the
next maneuver in the route.
Guidance Option
For guidance while you travel to the POI, choose Set as Destination from
the menu. The app responds by adding the first step of the directions in
the x Guidance field of the Nearby screen. It also updates the Guidance
field, so the next maneuver is announced as you move. The information in
the Guidance field always contains the current distance and direction to
the next maneuver.
Change to or From Pedestrian Mode
To switch to or from Pedestrian mode while using the Guidance feature,
follow these steps:
1.Activate the Context menu on the Guidance option.
2.Select Route Settings from the Context menu.
3.Turn on or off the Pedestrian Mode setting.
If there are other route settings to change, adjust them here as well.
Nearby Explorer automatically recalculates the route based on the new settings.
Directions During Guidance
To display a list of remaining directions to the destination while using
the Guidance feature, follow these steps:
1.Activate the Context menu on the Guidance option.
2.Choose Directions from the menu.
Point to Destination
When you set a destination, Nearby Explorer lets you point to it to get
audio and haptic feedback about that point. Hold the phone with the screen
face up and use the end to point. When you point at the destination, Nearby
Explorer vibrates and announces the name and distance to the point.
Nearby (POIs) and Nearby Position
The Nearby Places item on the Nearby screen indicates the closest POI to
your current location. If you turn on the Nearby Position item, the app
also announces the distance and direction to that POI and continually
updates the information as you approach and then leave that location. These
POIs include Nearby Places, Favorites, and Transit Stops in supported cities.
By default, Nearby Explorer shows the four closest places and updates the
distance and direction to the nearest one as you move. To show more or less
places, use the Context menu and pick "Maximum Places Per Location" to set
the number of places to report, from one to eight.
If you live in a city with a public transit feed that is supported by
Nearby Explorer, one kind of Place the app reports is Transit Stop
information. The report includes the time, direction, and route name of the
next bus or train. These live transit reports are active only when moving
less than 10 miles per hour.
To control which type of information Nearby Explorer reports, activate the
Context menu for the Nearby item on the main screen. The Context menu
includes three items: Nearby Places, Transit Stop Information, and
Favorites. You may enable or disable any or all of these options.
Point to Nearby Places With Geobeam
Because your device knows both your current location and the location of
POIs around you, it is possible to use the device's compass to point at
features in the environment and receive feedback about that feature. The
feedback consists of a vibration, a tone, and an announcement with the name
and distance of the POI. The vibration, in particular, makes pinpointing
places both intuitive and easy. Think of this feedback as a beam (Geobeam)
emitting from the end of the device, which you can use to point directly to
features in the environment. As long as you maintain the direction, the
vibration continues. You can use this vibration to guide you to the point.
CAUTION:
There may be obstructions between you and the POI. Nearby Explorer cannot
know about certain environmental barriers that may exist between you and
the point. You must use traditional mobility techniques to ensure the path
is safe or to follow a safe path to the point.
The tone also conveys information about the distance between the object to
which you point and your location. The higher the pitch, the closer you are
to that point. The speech also announces the distance, but the tone can be
used to quickly get an idea about which objects are closest as you scan the
environment.
There are two ways to position your device to use Geobeam. For both
positions, the "business end" is considered the top edge.
To engage Geobeam in the first position, hold the device out in front of
you, (as though you were handing it to someone), pointing the business end
in the direction of the POI. The screen should be facing skyward. In this
position, Nearby Explorer lets you know only about the closest POI when you
point to it. If you have a destination or a Watch set, use the device in
this position to find the destination or Watch point.
The second position is the normal Geobeam operating position. It is
achieved by rotating the device 90 degrees counter clockwise from position
1, (as though you were shaking hands with someone). As you move your device
into this position, Nearby Explorer makes a sound. When you move it out of
Geobeam position, Nearby Explorer makes another sound to confirm.
Point the end of the device in different directions while maintaining its
orientation. When the end of the device points to a POI, Nearby Explorer
makes a sound, vibrates, and announces the name of the Place and its distance.
When using Geobeam, be sure to take notice of these characteristics:
•You can decrease or expand the distance range by adjusting the "search
radius":#PlaceRadius for Nearby Places.
•Geobeam points can appear to move slightly. This movement is caused by
inaccurate satellite reception. You can still use them to get close to your
target location.
•Geobeam is more accurate the further away you are from the point. When you
get close to the point, you must contend with other impediments, such as
the location being marked in an odd place (like in the street) or poor
satellite reception.
If you don't want Nearby Explorer to provide feedback when you position the
phone, turn Geobeam off with the Geobeam button on the toolbar.
Adjust Nearest Place Behavior
By default, Nearby Explorer reports the direction to the nearest place as a
compass direction, but you can change this behavior to receive direction as
a position on a clock face. To do that, use the Context menu, and select
the Report as Clock Face option.
If you do not have a network connection, Nearby Explorer uses the POIs in
its database to identify nearby places. If you have a data connection, the
app uses the Foursquare[^R^] service or Google Places[^TM^] business
listings instead. These services can provide POIs in interesting and useful
ways.
Google Places provides as many as 20 place results for each search request.
Therefore, it can provide different, more general, or more meaningful
results by changing the radius of the search. Google Places allows a radius
of up to approximately 30 miles. Foursquare shows 50 place results at a time.
By default, Nearby Explorer uses a radius of 170 yards to help identify the
nearest place. This radius usually provides adequate information about
almost any small business, government facility, or other place in relative
proximity. If you are located where there are few businesses or
institutions, or if you reduce the radius too much, you may get no results.
There are a few ways to adjust the radius. The easiest way is to use the
Radius buttons on the toolbar.
You may also select the Set Radius option from the Context menu of the
Nearby Position item. Nearby Explorer responds with a menu from which you
may select the desired radius.
If you are traveling in a vehicle, you should not use a small radius,
especially in a densely populated area. As you travel, increase the radius
based on the environment and your personal preferences.
Watch
The Watch function is used to monitor a particular point of interest. It is
most effective as a reference and orientation tool. When you monitor a POI,
Nearby Explorer always displays the distance and direction to the Watch
point from your current position. To set a place as a Watch, follow these
steps:
1.Select a search result or a Favorite and open its Context menu.
2.Select Set as Watch.
Alternatively, select Set Location as Watch from any Context menu on the
main screen.
If you have the Watch item turned on, the app monitors and announces the
distance and direction to the place you are watching.
If you set a Watch position, the compass in your device can also be used to
point to the Watch point. As you point at the watched position with your
screen facing skyward, Nearby Explorer announces the name and distance and
vibrates to let you know where that position is located. For example, you
could set the location of your car in a large parking lot as a Watch point
and be able to locate it later.
Explore the Map
While Nearby Explorer keeps track of your location as you move, it can also
provide information about other places while you remain stationary or move
about virtually.
The program provides several methods for map exploration, such as using the
Go To option (explained shortly) from the result of the Explore, Search, or
Favorites tools.
You can also use the touch screen of your device to explore the map. To
learn more about map exploration using a touch screen, see Map View.
To virtually shift to another city or state, see Search.
Virtual Navigation
Nearby Explorer lets you navigate virtually. Select Enable Virtual
Navigation from any Context menu on the main screen. Nearby Explorer shows
buttons to move in any cardinal direction. Each button click moves 20 yards.
Follow Roads
Navigation mode moves in the exact direction you request by default.
However, this can be a problem if you wish to follow a road that does not
run exactly north/south or east/west. The Follow Roads switch on the
Navigation screen makes Nearby Explorer follow the road instead of moving
in the precise direction you indicate. This usually works well, but it can
sometimes cause Nearby Explorer to assume the incorrect street when
navigating through an intersection. Moving in a different direction often
helps you get back on the correct street in this situation.
To exit Navigation mode, press Resume on the toolbar or disable Virtual
Navigation from any Context menu.
Accuracy
The Accuracy setting provides a number to be considered as a range for
horizontal positioning. For instance, if the app shows "5 yards" the
program is fairly confident that it knows your position within 5 yards. The
smaller the number, the more accurate you should consider Nearby Explorer's
information.
Vertical Accuracy
Vertical Accuracy is an indication of the reliability of the Altitude report.
Favorites
In addition to the POIs in the maps, you can add your own places. In Nearby
Explorer, these are called Favorites.
Favorites are treated like Nearby Places. As you approach a Favorite, the
app announces its name and location.
You use Favorites to mark an existing place more suitable to your needs or
to mark a place that does not exist in the map data. You can also save
existing places as Favorites for easier access.
To set your current location as a Favorite, select Save Location as
Favorite from any Context menu on the main screen.
The app responds by displaying a dialog box where you may type a new name
or press the OK button to accept the automatically generated name. The
automatically generated name consists of the nearest address.
It is useful to give favorite places meaningful names that more precisely
describe the marked position. When marking the door to a restaurant, for
example, use exact wording to distinguish that Favorite from the more
general POI in the maps. "Side Door to Wendy's" distinguishes the entrance
from the map data's more general "Wendy's" moniker.
To display a list of your Favorites, press the Favorites button at the
bottom of the screen.
The Favorites list organizes your Favorites by their distance from your
current position, so the closest places are listed first.
Each item in the list shows the name of the Favorite, its distance and
direction from your current position, and its address.
To rename a Favorite, follow these steps:
1.Select one of the favorites in the list.
2.Select Rename from the Context menu that appears. The app displays a
dialog box with the current name.
3.Edit the current name or type a new one.
4.Press the Save button.
To delete a Favorite, follow these steps:
1.Select the favorite to delete.
2.Select Delete from the Context menu.
Transit
Nearby Explorer uses transit feeds for several transit systems to provide
information about public transit.
To use the Transit feature in a supported metropolitan area, press the
Transit button at the bottom of the screen.
If you haven't used the Transit feature in the current city, Nearby
Explorer downloads the transit map for that area.
Nearby Explorer automatically updates transit maps when possible. If the
map for your system expires, Nearby Explorer shows "Expired" and the date
on which the data expired in the title of the screen. If this occurs, you
may wish to contact your transit system. You may still use expired maps,
but be aware they may no longer be accurate.
Once you choose a transit system, Nearby Explorer's Transit Stop screen
displays a list of nearby stops, with the closest stop listed first.
To see more nearby stops, press the More Stops button at the bottom of the
screen.
Each list item on the Stops screen contains the following information:
•Street corner or address where the stop is located
•Direction the bus/train travels from that stop
•Distance and direction to that location from your current position
•Time of the next bus/train serving that stop
To see a list of all the routes that service a particular stop, select one
of the stops.
The Route screen includes buttons for the previous and next day in addition
to a list of vehicles. Each item in the list includes the following:
•Time the vehicle reaches that stop.
•Short name or number of the route.
•Name of the route
•Name of the vehicle
To see a schedule of times when the vehicle passes that corner, select the
route of interest. Nearby Explorer responds with a schedule screen that
shows all the times for the day.
To follow the vehicle's route, select the time of interest. Nearby Explorer
responds with the All Stops screen. The All Stops screen shows the time,
address, direction of travel, and distance and direction from the last stop.
To identify buses/trains at other stops, press Back to get to the Nearby
Stops screen and select another stop.
Multiple Transit Systems
If there are multiple transit systems in your area, Nearby Explorer shows
an Alternate Transit System button at the bottom of the Transit view. Press
this button to rotate through the available transit systems.
Updating Transit Schedules
Nearby Explorer uses an automated system to keep its transit information
up-to-date. If an update is available, Nearby Explorer downloads the
schedule the next time you start Nearby Explorer.
If your local area does not support Google Transit™ trip planning service,
see the Google Transit Page for information about requesting the transit
authority in your area to participate.
Supported Transit Areas
•Albuquerque, NM
•Ann Arbor, MI
•Atlanta, GA
•Austin, TX
•Bakersfield, CA
•Baltimore, MD
•Beaumont, CA
•Birmingham, AL
•Boston, MA
•Buffalo, NY
•Chicago, IL
•Cincinnati, OH
•Cleveland, OH
•Colorado Springs, CO
•Columbus, OH
•Corpus Christi, TX
•Dallas, TX
•Denver, CO
•Detroit, MI
•Eastern Sierra, CA
•Eugene, OR
•Fort Lauderdale, FL
•Fort Worth, TX
•Halifax, Ca
•Houston, TX
•Indianapolis, IN
•Jacksonville, FL
•Kansas City, MO
•Las Vegas, NV
•Lexington, KY
•Los Angeles, CA
•Louisville, KY
•Madison, WI
•Miami, FL
•Milwaukee, WI
•Minneapolis, MN
•Montreal, Ca
•New Jersey
•New York, NY
•Oklahoma City, OK
•Orange County, CA
•Orlando, FL
•Ottawa, Ca
•Philadelphia, PA
•Phoenix, AZ
•Portland, OR
•Sacramento, CA
•Salem, OR
•San Antonio, TX
•San Diego, CA
•San Francisco, CA (BART)
•San Francisco, CA (SFMTA)
•San Jose, CA
•St. Louis, MO
•Toronto, Ca
•Vancouver, Ca
•Washington, D.C.
Search
Nearby Explorer assists you with finding businesses, institutions,
addresses, and places that relate to a specific topic.
Once you find a place of business, you can do one of several things,
depending upon the information available for that location. These things
include receiving directions or guidance, adding it to your Favorites, or
traveling to it virtually on the map.
There is a Search Provider button at the bottom of the screen that lets you
select among Google Places, Foursquare, and On-board maps. The Search
screen inherits the provider settings from the Home screen.
Nearby Explorer can search within approximately a 30-mile radius of your
actual or virtual position. To initiate a search with another location than
your own, first search for a city and state, and then search for the place
of interest.
To open the Search screen, press the Search button. Nearby Explorer
responds with a screen that lets you type a term and shows a list of nearby
places.
To search for POIs in another city or state, you must switch to that city
first. To do this, follow these steps:
1.Activate the Edit Box.
2.Type the city or county name or the first few letters of the name,
followed by a comma, then the two letter state or province abbreviation.
Nearby Explorer responds by displaying a list of matching cities and the
county in which that city is located. Each item in the list also indicates
that city's distance and direction from your current location. Choose the
city of interest.
The app responds with a City Action menu containing either Go To or Search.
To move the virtual position to that city and close the Search screen,
choose Go To.
To display search results from that city, choose Search.
The types of items that appear in the Search screen list depend on your
network connection, the search radius setting, your location, or any terms
you have typed. These POIs are arranged so the closest one appears at the
top of the list. Each list item shows the name of the place, its category,
and its distance and direction from your current or virtual position.
To show places related to a term you type, follow these steps:
1.Activate the Edit Box.
2.Type a word or key word that is in the name of the desired place.
Nearby Explorer automatically increases the search radius to approximately
30 miles when you provide a specific term to find. You may change the
radius to narrow the distance to search. Nearby Explorer discards any
changes to the radius or search provider when you close the Search view.
You may search for addresses in any location by entering the street number
as the first portion of the search term. For example, 1839 Frankfort Ave,
Louisville shows APH from wherever you search.
When you select one of the search results, Nearby Explorer displays a menu
of actions from which to choose. The menu includes the following:
•Save to Favorites
•Go To
•Get Directions
•Set as destination
•Set as Watch
•View on Foursquare (if using Foursquare as a search provider.)
Streets
To show the Streets screen, press the Streets button at the bottom of the
screen.
The Streets screen shows all the intersections on the current street and a
Go To button.
Each intersection in the list shows the name of the intersecting street,
the distance and direction to that intersection, and in which direction the
street runs.
If you were on Maple Street between 1st and 2nd Streets and opened the
Streets view, you might see a list like the following:
•1st Street 100 yards north heading east
•2nd Street 50 yards north heading east and west
•3rd Street 20 yards south heading east and west
•4th Street 70 yards south heading east and west
Nearby Explorer highlights the closest intersection to your current
location. When you open this view, the cursor will be on the 2nd Street or
3rd Street item depending on which is closest.
To turn onto one of the streets listed, select the street. Nearby Explorer
displays a new list with all the intersections on the new street. Of
course, one of those intersections is the street you were on when you
Selected it, so the list might look like the following:
•Ash 3 miles west heading north and south
•Cherry 2 miles west heading north and south
•Dogwood 1 mile west heading north and south
•Elm .5 miles west heading north
•Lilac .1 miles west heading south
•Maple heading north and south
•Peach 200 yards east heading south
Since the intersection of 2nd and Maple is closest, Nearby Explorer
highlights the street "Maple" in the list.
When you get to the desired location, press the Go To button to return to
the Nearby screen with your location set to the selected intersection.
Map View
Along with the Home screen, where you fine tune what the app says as you
move, Nearby Explorer offers a view of the map.
The Map view shows an interactive, accessible map of your current or
virtual position.
To use the map, select the Map tab at the bottom of the screen. Nearby
Explorer fills the screen with the standard Apple Map view with integration
into Nearby Explorer's interface.
Using the Map
Use your finger to touch or slide on any part of the screen to receive
feedback about that part of the map.
North is at the top of the screen, south is at the bottom, and east and
west are right and left, respectively.
As you touch the screen, VoiceOver gives feedback in the form of tones and
verbal announcements. When you touch a street and pause there on the map
with VoiceOver Hints enabled, you begin getting beeping feedback as you
slide your finger to follow that street. Wether or not you enable VoiceOver
Hints, pausing while touching a street makes VoiceOver begin beeping at
different tones. This lets you know when you drift away from the street,
and it provides verbal announcements as you approach intersections while
you slide.
In addition to street name and direction information, VoiceOver announces
POIs. The amount of detail depends on how closely the map is zoomed.
If the map does not cover enough space, or you want to move the center of
the map, use the scroll and zoom features to adjust the view.
Scroll the Map
To scroll the map, use the technique where you double tap then hold and
slide. The usual three-finger scrolling technique required when you are
running VoiceOver does not work.
When you scroll, Nearby Explorer virtually moves to the point at the center
of the map and applies the announcements you set in the Home screen. It
also pauses the GPS, so to resume tracking your position, activate the
Resume button at the top of the Home screen when you finish using the map
or other tools where you virtually explore.
The amount you scroll depends on how far you drag your finger and the zoom
level.
Zoom
To zoom, use the Rotor to get to the Zoom control, then flick up or down.
Zoom is not in the default Rotor configuration, so you must add it in the
Settings / General / Accessibility / VoiceOver / Rotor setting. You only
need to add it once.
Once you add Zoom, you may flick up and down to change the amount of
information to show on the map. VoiceOver responds with each adjustment by
announcing the number of roads visible in the new view. The closer you
zoom, the more information about roads and POIs you get. As you broaden the
view, you see only more prominent roads and POIs.
Points of Interest Rotor Control
When focused on the Map view, VoiceOver adds Points of Interest to the
choices available in the Rotor. To see all the POIs, select Points of
Interest in the Rotor, then flick through the names of each of them that
appear in the view.
Geobeam and Compass From Map View
You may use Geobeam and Compass to examine the surrounding virtual area,
just as if you were there. These tools can help orient you to unfamiliar
places before you travel to them.
Home Screen
To return to the Home screen, select it from the bottom left of the screen.
You may wish to make adjustments in what gets announced as you scroll
through the map. If so, change the settings, then return to the Map tab.
If you scrolled the map, Nearby Explorer pauses the GPS reception. To
return to a live GPS position, activate the Resume button at the top of the
screen.
Settings
The Settings tab shows options that let you change how Nearby Explorer behaves.
Report Distances in Metric Units: Off
When you turn on this setting, Nearby Explorer uses metric measurements for
distance reports. When the setting is off, it uses imperial units of
measurement.
Report Distances in Feet Instead of Yards: Off
If using imperial measurement units, Nearby Explorer can express distances
in feet rather than yards. Turn this setting on to receive distance
announcements in feet.
This option is not available if the Report Distances in Metric Units
setting is on.
Allow Geobeam and Compass when App is in the Background
Normally, Geobeam and Compass work only while Nearby Explorer is in the
foreground. If you want them to work while the phone is locked or when
Nearby Explorer is in the background, turn on this button.
Adjust Speech
To change the voice, pitch, speech and volume of the speech Nearby Explorer
uses, select Adjust Speech from the Settings tab. The Adjust Speech screen
shows sliders to adjust any of the speech parameters and a button to return
the speech to the default settings. There is also a button to test the
speech selections. Select the Done button when complete.
Choose Address Provider
Normally, Nearby Explorer uses on-board maps to provide addresses. You may
select between Apple or On-board maps to provide this information.
Choose Search Provider
Normally, Nearby Explorer uses Google Places to provide results for
searches and Nearby Places. Use this button to select among Google Places,
Foursquare, or On-board maps.
Route Settings
When using Guidance or directions, the route settings let you customize the
way Nearby Explorer delivers instructions.
Pedestrian Mode: Off
Normally, Nearby Explorer assumes you are driving and provides instructions
that account for one-way streets, highways, and other instructions possible
only while driving. When Pedestrian mode is on, it uses the shortest route
without highways, and does not consider street direction.
h4. Route Optimization
The Route Optimization settings button opens a dialog that lets you control
things like shortest distance, fastest, and simplest route.
Use Highways: On
When using Driving mode, Nearby Explorer uses highways by default; however,
you may instruct it not to use them by turning off this button.
Use Unpaved Roads: On
If you wish to use only paved roads, turn this button off.
Use Toll roads: On
If you wish to avoid tolls, turn off this button.
Use Ferries: On
To avoid using ferries, turn off this button.
About
The About button shows the version number and copyright information.
Other Information
If you make or receive a phone call while Nearby Explorer is working, the
program mutes the announcements until the phone call is complete.
Registered Trademarks
© 2012 Google Inc. All rights reserved. Google Places™ is a trademark of
Google Inc.
© 2012 Google Inc. All rights reserved. Google Transit™ is a trademark of
Google Inc.
© 2011 Foursquare Labs, Inc. All rights reserved. Foursquare[^R^] is a
registered trademark of Foursquare Labs, Inc.
NAVTEQ END-USER LICENSE TERMS
The data ("Data") is provided for your personal, internal use only and not
for resale. It is protected by copyright, and is subject to the following
terms and conditions which are agreed to by you, on the one hand, and
American Printing House for the Blind, Inc. and its licensors (including
their licensors and suppliers) on the other hand.
The Data for areas of Canada includes information taken with permission
from Canadian authorities, including: © Her Majesty the Queen in Right of
Canada, © Queen's Printer for Ontario, © Canada Post Corporation, GeoBase®,
© Department of Natural Resources Canada. All rights reserved.
NAVTEQ holds a non-exclusive license from the United States Postal Service®
to publish and sell ZIP+4® information.
© United States Postal Service ® 2011. Prices are not established,
controlled or approved by the United States Postal Service®. The following
trademarks and registrations are owned by the USPS: United States Postal
Service, USPS, and ZIP+4.
Terms and Conditions
Personal Use Only
You agree to use this Data together with the Nearby Explorer app for the
solely personal, non-commercial purposes for which you were licensed, and
not for service bureau, time-sharing or other similar purposes.
Accordingly, but subject to the restrictions set forth in the following
paragraphs, you may copy this Data only as necessary for your personal use
to (i) view it, and (ii) save it, provided that you do not remove any
copyright notices that appear and do not modify the Data in any way. You
agree not to otherwise reproduce, copy, modify, decompile, disassemble,
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Data, and may not transfer or distribute it in any form, for any purpose,
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Restrictions
Except where you have been specifically licensed to do so by the American
Printing House for the Blind, Inc., and without limiting the preceding
paragraph, you may not (a) use this Data with any products, systems, or
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communication with any positioning devices or any mobile or
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limitation cellular phones, palmtop and handheld computers, pagers, and
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By using the Nearby Explorer application, the user is bound by Google's
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A link to the APH Privacy Policy is available at
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Warning
The Data may contain inaccurate or incomplete information due to the
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