257
257
| Titel / Titel: | Hotspots and free wifi in a ubiquitous city. Do they serve citizens' information needs? The u-city of Oulu as a case study. |
|---|---|
| Author / Autor | Schumann, L., Rölike, S., & Stock, W.G.
|
| Source / Quelle | I. Huvila (Ed.), Proceedings of the Second Association for Information Science and Technology ASIS&T European Workshop 2013. June 5-6, Åbo/Turku, Finland (pp. 95-108). Åbo: Åbo Akademie University. (Skrifter utgivna av Informationsvetenskap vid Åbo Akademie; 2) |
| Language / Sprache | English / Englisch |
Hotspots and free wifi in a ubiquitous city. Do they serve citizens' information needs? The u-city of Oulu as a case study.
Abstract
Introduction. Ubiquitous cities aim at embedding information and communication technology, information services and digital content in the urban landscape to make the citizens' everyday lives easier. One ofthese cities is Oulu (Northern Finland). Does Oulu satisfy the information needs of its people? How helpful are the UbiOulu services (hotspots and open WiFi)?
Methods. We conducted an empirical user study and asked (>1,000) students in Oulu to complete a questionnaire. Additionally, there were qualitative interviews with Stakeholders of the project.
Results. The majority of the respondents (54 %) stated that they don't use the hotspots. If they do, their information needs are limited to Oulu (bus schedules, orientation, weather, etc.). About 88 % of our respondents utilize Oulu's open WiFi.
Discussion. Especially the open WiFi is an important tool to satisfy information needs of the ubiquitous city's inhabitants; it's an integrated part of the daily routine of Oulu's digital natives.