Utilizing public displays to enable location-centric information sharing

Location-centric information sharing means that information can be shared at a specific geographic location by any person, regardless of the person's actual geographic location. Conceptually, we position location-centric information sharing as a contribution to P3 (People to People to Geographic Place) research which is about understanding the (new) meaning of place in social networks. Technically, we describe a proof of concept that links recent developments in mobile technology (smartphones and tablet computers, such as iPads) and large public displays and that demonstrates how off-the-shelf technology can be used to enable the remote sourcing of highly location-sensitive information. We are currently looking into installing the AskAway prototype for long-term embedded evaluation at a number of locations including universities, start-up companies and coffee shops.