Citation

Reddy PDVG, Kitamura R, Jovanis PP. Math. Comput. Model. 1995; 22(4-7): 269-278.

Copyright

(Copyright © 1995, Elsevier Publishing)

DOI

10.1016/0895-7177(95)00138-R

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

This paper describes work performed at U.C. Davis in the area of Advanced Travel Information Systems (ATIS). The project develops a Voice Operated Information System (VOIS) for drivers' information and guidance. The principal aim of this work was to develop a suitable interface for the untrained user (driver), and investigate the degree to which dialogue control can be used to compensate for deficiencies in existing information systems' interfaces. The focus of this work has been on providing pre-trip or en-route information. However, the techniques developed here are believed to be equally applicable to a wide range of other information systems (electronic yellow pages, route navigation system, etc.). In this work, more emphasis is placed on the media used to interface with the information system rather than developing an extensive database. In other words, the database is small and options are few in the information system. This helps in evaluating the benefits and drawbacks of using voice as the user interface media. The system is composed of several subsystems (modules), the user input and output subsystems, the dialogue controller, the database, etc. The dialogue controller is an independent unit with well-defined interfaces to the other system components. The dialogue controller outputs a question to the speech output subsystem, and simultaneously outputs a set of syntax rules to the speech input system. These rules define the subset of the total user input language which the dialogue controller is prepared to interpret at that point in the dialogue. Using these rules as guidance, the speech input subsystem processes the user's response and returns it to the dialogue controller as a frame-like structure. These frames have information about user request. The dialogue controller interprets the reply frame and the cycle then repeats until the user's query is fully established. The above outline presents the broad framework in which we have developed a dialogue controlled pre-trip information system. Such systems are very useful because there is no need for the driver to divert his attention from the driving task to interact with the information system. Once this system is fully established, we plan to use it as one of the primary user interfaces for subsequent prototype developments.