TECHNOLOGY

A Revolutionary Touch Screen Interface for NewsStand

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Overview

Smartphones—from Blackberries to iPhones to Androids—have revolutionized the way we access information. The latest news updates are only a few clicks away even if we are out and about. Similarly, mapping and navigational applications have changed how we interface with the world. A quick scroll moves us up from street level—city grids, states, countries, and the familiar outlines of continents quickly appear.

Now, researchers at the University of Maryland have developed a unique application that literally puts the news on the map. The NewsStand system makes use of a map as the query interface and enables the map to be accessed with a gesturing touch screen interface. The result is that users of touch screen smartphones and iPads can search for information using the map query interface. NewsStand monitors thousands of RSS feeds and makes news stories retrievable within minutes of publication. A map, coupled with the ability to vary the zoom level at which it is viewed, provides an inherent granularity to the search process that facilitates an approximate search.

Advantages:
• Allows a user to search for information by news topic or geographical location
• Easy to use zoom function allows user to resize search area and results box
• Demonstrates how non-trivial GIS applications can function on a mobile device
Applications:
• NewsStand is compatible with touch screen smartphones and iPads

Contact Info

UM Ventures
0134 Lee Building
7809 Regents Drive
College Park, MD 20742
Email: [email protected]
Phone: (301) 405-3947 | Fax: (301) 314-9502