An integrated mobile framework to support desert travellers in Oman using AI techniques

Abstract

The studies conducted in the Middle east region shows that desert safari and camping trips are one of the leading areas in the Arab region in terms of psychological recreation and entertainment. With the growth of the tourism industry, the number of people coming to Oman's deserts is increasing yearly. However, travellers also face many challenges when travelling through deserts and rugged areas in the Middle East.  In addition, the research shows that most desert deaths are due to environmental risks due to a lack of preparedness. Also, the factor of high temperature is the most crucial cause of dehydration, which can also lead to death. Hence, knowledge of survival techniques is essential for any traveller while planning the trip. Several mobile applications exist  for tracking children or family members when they go out. The FollowMee application is an application that converts ordinary mobile devices into mobile GPS devices, which can work under weak networks (Daily, 2022). The iSharing application is an application that is considered one of the best applications through which family members can be tracked in real-time using GPS. The device also sends alerts when the member reaches or leaves a destination. However, most of these existing applications do not serve the purpose of desert travellers because of their limited features. Hence, an application is needed to boost travellers' confidence in adventurous trips by providing the necessary guidance.