An Abergavenny woman has spoken to the Chronicle about how a 3D model of the area could help people with different impairments to access town more easily.
Sumiya Houston was a part of a short film made by Matterport last month and became the first person to use the new software and learn more about how it could help people with additional accessibility needs.
“I found it really useful, and I would find it even more helpful if I hadn’t been inside the actual building before,” she said.
“It only covers the town hall and the market at the moment but that is a brilliant place to start, because at times it is the biggest and busiest building in town.”
Sumiya has ocular motor apraxia, which means the muscles in her eyes don’t work the way they are supposed to. The difficulties she faces makes it difficult for her to access buildings in town, especially when it is busy.
“I can’t move my eyes to look in different directions without moving my head,” she said.
“I have got working sight, but I am unable to move my eyes most of the time, so I tend to miss things that are on the floor, and I can trip over certain obstacles.”
“The 3D model is very useful in the sense that I can see what I am going to face before I go into the building.”
The introduction of the software is a part of Abergavenny Town Council’s aim to make the town centre more accessible and friendly for people with disabilities.
A model of the whole town centre will eventually be ready for users to access, with Nevill Street and Flannel Street scanned among other areas of the town over the last week.
Accessibility Enterperise Ltd, based on Riverside Drive, have been tasked with bringing a digital version of the town to life. Leighton Morris, founder of the ANI group, said that the models are created using state-of-the-art equipment.
“The 3D models are created using a high-tech camera system that captures immersive, 360-degree imagery of spaces,” he said.
“This data is then processed into a fully interactive digital twin using Matterport technology.”
“Each scan is carefully planned and stitched together to create a seamless experience that allows users to virtually explore both interior and exterior spaces with accuracy and realism.”
Sumiya says the opportunity to explore the town ahead of visiting is vital for people with additional accessibility requirements and is excited to see the next phase of it come to life.
“I am glad it is being rolled out across the rest of town so everybody can plan their visits effectively,” she said.
“Not everyone likes books. I passionately believe that everyone deserves to be included in everything and go anywhere they that need to go.”
“Having these sorts of systems built in is really important.”