The Book in The Sky Initiative.

A Pilot project between The Royal Society for the Blind of South Australia and Audio-Read Pty Limited.

Background.

Audio-Read Pty Limited.

Audio-Read is an Australian company that has developed the award winning Audio Navigator, a user friendly digital audio player for recreational audio reading. Audio-Read's objective is to be the audio text service provider of choice for news, information and entertainment services to libraries, people who are blind or vision impaired and all users of recreational audio content. The system provides enormous savings over traditional delivery methods and opens up a world of previously unavailable content for the user.

The Royal Society for the Blind of South Australia Ltd (RSB).

The RSB is the primary provider of services, improving the quality of life for blind or vision impaired South Australians. Currently the RSB provides services to over 9,500 people. Services include:

• Low Vision Centre
• Adaptive Technology Centre
• Braille and Talking Book Library
• Training
• Counselling
• Employment
• Print Alternatives
• Future Solutions

Services are provided through seven offices throughout South Australia, supported by a home visiting service.

The RSB’s vision is for people who are blind or vision impaired to participate equally in all aspects of the community. We believe that BiTS technology provides an opportunity to achieve this vision in the provision of library and information services.

The System.

The 2 major components of the Book in The Sky [BiTS] system are:

1. The Audio Navigator - a portable audio playback device.
2. The Content Management System - a suite of applications and hardware, that manages delivery of content through wireless broadband Internet.

The Audio Navigator is a patented device, designed by Audio-Read’s team of engineers. It is easily operated by vision impaired and non-vision impaired users . The audio is delivered to the user or library through a broadcast from a wireless Internet connection.

There has been great interest from blindness organisations and libraries from around the world, and hence the relationship with the RSB. The BiTS initiative increases service and reduces costs for both print disabled and non-print disabled users.

Why change the current system?

Services currently in place for the print-disabled consist of a labour intensive network involving the distribution of talking books to clients via an operator-assisted library service. The costs associated with such a system are substantial. The Australian government outlays over $5 million per annum for the existing postal concession, which equates to approximately $250 per reader per annum, to maintain and manage the system.

There are also significant costs involved in both the supply of media material for clients and the maintenance of client audio equipment. In terms of client satisfaction, the current services offer only a limited range of transcribed material and the delivery and retrieval process involved often necessitates substantial waiting times in accessing the requested material.

It is estimated that the true cost to the community is in the vicinity of between $800 and $900 per annum per reader.

Why choose the Book in The Sky?

1. BiTS offers a significant reduction in distribution costs with increased benefits to clients.
2. Audio-Read provides a secure digital multicast system that delivers talking books, newspapers, learning material or any type of text via wireless Internet transmission and is available in indexed audio, or enlarged text on a standard television monitor.
3. The system delivers data at approximately 15% of the current cost of media distribution. An unlimited range of digital text is available for transmission 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, to an unlimited distribution area - remote areas of Australia are equally as accessible as urban centres.
4. Audio-Read technology uses Broadband technology, therefore an audio book can be downloaded in less than 5 minutes. And because it’s digital, there is no deterioration in quality with repeated use. As the system requires only one master copy of data, cost and storage requirements are minimised.
5. Books may be ordered for next day delivery and magazines will be available prior to release at news-stands. The global capabilities of the BiTS network ensures a wider range of information to a wider number of users in an unlimited number of languages.
6. Audio-Read has attracted interest from traditional publishing and distribution channels worldwide, including BBC, ABC, The Fairfax Group, Vocal eyes Productions, Ulverscroft Audio and the Royal National Institute of the Blind (UK).
7. Audio-Read text is copyright-safe and all transmitted information is protected by high level security coding, providing both a detectable audit trail and protection from unlawful copying. Thus publishers can feel confident in providing low cost access to information for the print disabled.

How does the book in the sky work?

In the graphics version an image showing the process is in this position.

As shown in the above diagram, the client or library contacts Audio-Read with a request for the desired item (book, magazine, newspaper, etc). The Audio-Read centre then processes the request. This includes scheduling the delivery time of the transmission, reporting the use of the media to the relevant publisher and finally, uploading the file to the satellite. The Audio-Read satellite subsequently relays the securely encrypted information to the end-user who can then access the material via their Audio-Read Navigator.

The Audio Navigator.

In the graphics version an image showing the portable Audio Navigator is in this position.

The Pilot Project.

The initial Pilot Project will involve two of the RSB’s sites, Adelaide and Gilles Plains, and each site will have four selected readers. Whilst the system will be trialed at two RSB sites, informal feedback will also be sought from a range of blind and vision impaired people who visit the sites during the pilot.

A third site, Burnside Public Library, will provide the Audio-Read system on trial to print disabled readers of the library. Burnside Library has been selected to assess the potential benefits in the broader community.

The initial Pilot Project will be for a period of eight weeks, and in addition to ongoing feedback from the readers, formal questionnaires will be completed at the end of the fourth and eighth weeks.

Conclusion.

The Pilot Project creates a unique partnership between two Australian innovators, who are leaders in their respective fields. The BiTS System is a cost effective solution, using commercially available technology, that will enable equitable and ‘real time’ access to reading materials and information for the print disabled.

Outcomes.

1. Equity in delivery and access.
2. Enhanced services for the print disabled.
3. Cost savings in media, storage, and infrastructure.