importance.tex

\chapter{Importance of topic}
\label{ch:importance}
%1-2 pages
%Fits into your master thesis introduction.
%Why is it important to solve exactly what you are solving.
%Very good if you can connect to some major authority stating
%that what you are trying to solve is important.

Every year people die in boating accidents, we hope that our work can be
used to save future lives. Jim Hall, the Chairman of the National Transportation 
Safety Board testified in front of the Subcommittee on Coast Guard and Maritime 
Transportation, making several safety recomendations after the Scandinavian Star
accident \cite{ntsb}. One of them were to "Improve crew language/communication 
ability to assist passengers during emergencies." Our work, which will be part of a system
that will provide passengers with the quickest route to the exit, could output 
any directions in the language of the phone owner. This would not only improve 
communication if the employees and passengers do not speak the same language, 
it would also ensure that the directives reach all passengers quicker than if the employees 
were to guide all passengers. Additionally it increases the probability that all passengers 
receives proper guidance. For instance any message played over a sound system could be
difficult to hear during a panic and passengers could be in rooms or corridors
where they would be unrachable for the employees.