eSIGN

1
eSIGN Essential Sign Language Information on
Government Networks

• eContent project (5th Framework IST)
• Coordinator University of Hamburg
• Institute of German Sign Language
  andCommunication of the Deaf

2
eSIGN Consortium

• U Hamburg (DE) Coordinator
• Systematics Integrations (EDS subsidiary, DE)
• Norfolk City Council (UK)
• Viataal (NL)
• U East Anglia (UK)
• Televirtual (UK)
• Royal National Institute for Deaf People (UK)

3
Consortium Synergy
Virtual Signing
UH
UEA TVL
Community access
RNID IvD
SI
NCC
eGovernment
4
Sign Language the European Deaf Community

• Sign language is the closest-to-native language
  for the Deaf community
• 0.1 of the European population
• No written form of sign language
• Written language competence of many Deaf people
  poor
• Bilingual education spreading slowly

5
Project Idea Virtual signing into eGovernment
initiatives

• Virtual signing reduces bandwidth problems with
  digital video
• Relatively easycheap and flexible production
  process
• Ensures Deaf peoples integration into a key
  component of tomorrows Information Society (cf.
  anti-discrimination acts)
• Multilingual focus British Sign Language,
  Deutsche Gebärdensprache, Nederlandse Gebarentaal

6
Virtual Signing on theWorld Wide Web
7
Builds on ViSiCAST Animation and Language
Technology

• IST project 20002002
• Virtual signing on television, in counter
  transactions and on WWW

8
ViSiCAST Technologies

• Motion capture
• Motion realistic animation
• Better compression than video
• Expensive hardware required
• Synthetic animation
• Looks more robotic but is comprehensible
• Even lower data rate
• More flexible

9
Participation in eGovernment Services

• Information services
• One-way
• Transaction services
• Two-way, but restricted back channel
• Communication services
• Two-way, unrestricted

10
eSIGN Information Services

• Freestyle text
• Generated with an intelligent sign language
  editor
• Requires a human translator
• Lexicon synthetic

11
Intelligent Sign Language Editor
12
eSIGN Information Services (2)

• Schematised text
• Language model for restricted context
• Automatic translation allows frequent updates
• Lexicon synthetic or motion capture

13
eSIGN Transaction Services

• Form filling with signed prompts
• Introduction and help texts with signed prompts
• Answers as numbers or text, the latter
  preferrably multiple choice
• Lexicon synthetic or motion capture

14
eSIGN Contents Germany

• Systematics UH
• eGovernment components within hamburg.de
• Leading role of a European capital
• Mainly information, partly schematised text

15
eSIGN Contents Netherlands

• IvD with support from UEA
• Job service for Deaf people
• Focus on form contents

16
eSIGN Contents UK

• Norfolk, RNID UEA
• Life events concept offered by county council
• Focus on filling forms

17
Exploitation

• Client software will be made available free of
  charge to the Deaf community so that the three
  eSIGN sites will immediately become accessible to
  the target group.
• Enabling Deaf peoples political participation
  not only a social objective, but becoming a legal
  requirement through national anti-discrimination
  acts.
• We provide and demonstrate a versatile and
  cost-effective possibility to create sign
  language versions of eGovernment portals that
  delivers quality without substantial bandwidth
  requirements.

18
Exploitation (2)

• The approach taken can be adapted for other
  European sign languages, this requires building
  the appropriate lexicons.
• Once the tools are in place, the model is not
  restricted to eGovernment, but can be applied to
  B2C contexts such as mail order, virtual travel
  agencies etc.
• It is not only the (comparatively small) customer
  target group, but also the prestige to careabout
  a handicapped customer group.