Glossary
Searchable terminology from accessibility, web standards, and related fields.
116 results found in technology.
- Music Information Retrieval (MIR)
- An interdisciplinary field focused on extracting, analyzing, and organizing information from music data. Music information retrieval encompasses tasks like automatic transcription, genre classificatio…
- NFC Tag (Near Field Communication Tag, NFC)
- An NFC (Near Field Communication) tag is a small, unpowered chip that can transmit data to a compatible smartphone or device when held within a few centimeters. In accessibility contexts, NFC tags are…
- Off-the-Shelf Technology (OTS, Commercial Off-the-Shelf, COTS)
- Commercially available products designed for the general consumer market without customization for specific user groups. In accessibility research, off-the-shelf technology refers to mainstream device…
- Ontology (Web Ontology, Knowledge Ontology)
- In computing and information science, a formal representation of knowledge within a domain, consisting of concepts, categories, properties, and the relationships between them. Ontologies enable machin…
- Open Data (Open Government Data, Public Data)
- Data that is published and made freely available to everyone without copyright or patent restrictions, following the premise that transparency enables public accountability and innovation. In accessib…
- OpenStreetMap (OSM)
- A free, collaborative, open-source mapping project that provides geographic data including roads, buildings, and points of interest, contributed and maintained by volunteers worldwide. OpenStreetMap i…
- Optical Character Recognition (OCR) (OCR, Text Recognition)
- Technology that converts images of text — such as scanned documents, photographs of signs, or PDF pages stored as images — into machine-readable text that can be processed by screen readers, search en…
- Particle Filtering (Sequential Monte Carlo, Particle Filter)
- Particle filtering is a probabilistic localization technique that estimates a user's position by maintaining a cloud of weighted "particles," each representing a possible location. As new sensor data …
- Particle filter (Sequential Monte Carlo, Monte Carlo localization)
- A probabilistic algorithm that estimates a user's position by maintaining a set of weighted hypothetical locations (particles) and updating them based on sensor observations such as Bluetooth beacon s…
- Pedestrian dead reckoning (PDR, Inertial navigation, Step-and-heading)
- A localization technique that estimates a person's position by counting their steps (to determine distance) and detecting turns (to determine heading changes) from a known starting point, using inerti…
- Personal-Scale Manufacturing (Desktop Manufacturing, Personal Fabrication)
- The use of affordable, accessible manufacturing tools such as 3D printers, laser cutters, and CNC machines by individuals or small groups to produce custom physical objects, as opposed to relying on i…
- Persuasive Technology (Behaviour Change Technology, Behavior Change Technology)
- Technology designed to change users' attitudes or behaviours through persuasion and social influence rather than coercion. In health and wellness contexts, persuasive technologies use strategies such …
- Physiological Computing (Biometric Computing, Biosignal-based Computing)
- A computing paradigm that uses real-time physiological signals from the body to inform system responses and adaptations. Common signals include heart rate (via photoplethysmography), skin conductance …
- Point Cloud
- A set of data points in three-dimensional space, where each point represents a position on the surface of an object or environment, typically captured by depth cameras, LiDAR scanners, or photogrammet…
- Pose Estimation (Body Pose Estimation, Skeleton Tracking)
- A computer vision technique that detects and tracks the positions of human body joints, hands, and facial landmarks from images or video. In accessibility contexts, pose estimation is a foundational t…
- Privacy-Enhancing Technologies (PETs)
- Tools and techniques that protect user privacy by limiting the collection, use, and dissemination of personal information online. Examples include VPNs, ad blockers, privacy-focused browsers like Brav…
- Proximity Detection (Proximity Sensing, Proximity-Based Localization)
- A method of determining a user's approximate location by measuring their closeness to known reference points, such as BLE beacons or Wi-Fi access points, based on signal strength. In accessible indoor…
- Proxy Account (Delegate Account)
- A formal mechanism within a digital system that allows an authorized person to perform tasks on behalf of another user with defined permissions and accountability. In financial technology, proxy accou…
- QR Code (Quick Response Code)
- A two-dimensional barcode that encodes information such as text, URLs, or other data in a square matrix of black and white modules. In accessibility contexts, QR codes serve as a bridge between physic…
- R (R Programming Language, R Project, R Statistical Computing)
- A free, open-source programming language and software environment widely used for statistical computing, data analysis, and graphical representation. R is the standard tool for statisticians in both a…