Public buildings are accessible for all sections of the population including for people with disabilities. However, all safety measurements are for people without disabilities. Studies have shown that people with impairments are more likely to suffer during emergency situations. There are currently more than 30 million blind and partially impaired people in the EU, both moderate and severe and over 40.000 fires reported in 2020. With a death of more than 6 people / 100.000 people annually, fire safety is a priority each year. During a fire or calamity, visually impaired people are in disadvantaged because there is no escape system designed for them. It is necessary to develop a system to use as evacuation plan for the visually impaired, so that they can get out safely, but also in the shortest possible time. Our project proposes a guidance system for people who are part of this category. Thus, using virtual reality, we can get the shortest route to the exit out of the building. The software kit uses a mapping application, which is based on detecting and capturing unique feature points through the camera of a smartphone. The principle for this package is Indoor Positioning System (IPS), which tracks the indoor location of people or objects, in places where GPS does not work, such as inside buildings. With this system we aim to create an evacuation system for people with visual impairments in case of a disaster.

visual impairments; guidance; indoor positioning system; augmented reality