# Auditing Accessibility of Pavements and Points of Interest in Urban Areas: The 'Seek & Go' Tool +
## 4 Tool Development for Auditing Accessibility  
A multitude of digital applications exist that have been created to aid disabled individuals. Due to the importance of accessibility in smart cities, the market for such applications continues to expand. As part of our research on accessibility in urban areas, we have developed the 'Seek & Go' application. \"Seek & Go' aims to be a comprehensive assistive application to aid individuals with disabilities. Towards this goal, collecting information regarding accessibility is a primary concern. The collection of data to identify potential accessibility issues is carried out by a dedicated experts' team which is trained on using the application developed as part of this research. The prospective goal is to allow citizens, store owners, volunteers, and other interest groups, to add their own data directly. The collected data could be used by third-party applications (e.g., mobile apps offering routing features focusing on accessibility), and end users (e.g., people with disabilities, wheelchair users, users with baby carriage). The \"Seek & Go' application was developed as part of the \"Digital Products and Services for Accessible and Safe Mobility of Senior and Disabled Tourists and Citizens in Greece\" project (acronym: 'Seek & Go'), funded by the European Regional Development Fund of the European Union and Greek national funds via the Operational Program Competitiveness, Entrepreneurship and Innovation, under the \"Research--Create--Innovate\" call. The project was a collaborative effort between the following parties: (i) MLS Multimedia S.A., a software company based in Thessaloniki, Greece; (ii) the Department of Informatics & Telecommunications at the University of Ioannina; and (iii) the Department of Supply Chain Management at the International Hellenic University. It is important to note that the consortium worked closely with the National Confederation of Disabled People, a leading umbrella organization representing the disability and chronic disease patients' movement in Greece. This collaboration helped the research team better understand the unique needs and requirements of individuals with disabilities. The 'Seek & Go' partnership boasts a wealth of multi-disciplinary expertise and extensive experience in its field. Through this project, the partnership envisions to develop innovative solutions that will enhance the capacity of both private and public entities to better serve disabled people in a more effective and competitive manner. Specifically, the 'Seek & Go' project focused on addressing the unique requirements of persons with disabilities or limited mobility, including senior citizens and expectant mothers [47]. A key result of the project was the 'Seek & Go' application that features a GPS navigation system specially designed for disabled pedestrians with special accessibility requirements [40]. The project at hand was centered around promoting mobility while adhering to the \"Design for All\" principles and the widely acknowledged accessibility standards. A key component of the initiative involved gathering georeferenced accessibility data in the two largest urban centers in Greece, i.e., Athens and Thessaloniki. Moreover, the project consortium committed to laying the groundwork for achieving nationwide coverage in Greece post project. Through meticulous on-site inspections, experienced evaluators and consultants conducted assessments of streets and landmarks within the designated study area [47]. Upon completion, the 'Seek & Go' application could act as a catalyst for enhancing the mobility of citizens with disabilities in Greece, while simultaneously elevating the country's global branding as a distinctive, accessible destination. The auditing process plays a crucial role in ensuring the efficient and seamless operation of the application. With this objective in mind, the development of the 'Seek & Go' application was accompanied by the implementation of a specialized auditing tool, which was specifically designed to support this initiative [48].