axc - controlling/monitoring using IVR

[Gregg Liming <gregg@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

I thought I'd "float" some ideas about using IVR
(interactive voice
response) menus in asterisk to control/monitor HA functions.
Specifically, I've been thinking about extending axc (asterisk xAP
connector) to support various "helpers" to support ease of
creating IVR
menus in an asterisk dial plan (extensions.conf). This would allow
callers (whether inside the home or outside) to call-in to asterisk and
control/monitor their home.  I'm wondering if others may have been
thinking of / wishing for something similar and am hoping to strike up a
dialog on this subject if there's interest.

Here's a sample list of some options:

(1) Integrate TTS apps (cepstral.com and festival voice specifically
come to mind) to implement (a) the dynamic menu text and (b) any HA
"response" (an interpretation of an *.Info message or verbatim
from a
tts.speak or message.display message)

(2) Permit support for key "controlling" schemas (e.g., BSC) such
that a
menu action would issue one of these commands.  axc would listen for a
response message, convert it to "speakable text" and then
"speak it" via
TTS (streamed into the caller's phone)

(3) Permit support for query schemas (e.g., BSC, others?) that would
permit axc to get information about the current "state" (e.g.,
inside
temp, thermostat setback, etc.) again by listening for the response,
interpreting it and feeding the TTS stream back to the caller

(4) Permit support for information "histories" where axc would
"buffer"
information messages (message.display, *.info, etc.) over some time
period (e.g., last hour) that could be interrogated via IVR menu (e.g.,
"speak the last zoneminder alarm"). A timestamp would be
optionally
included in the TTS text.

There's a fair amount to implement any of the above; but, they all
strike me as reasonably doable. The downside is that integration into
the asterisk dialplan does require somewhat advanced knowledge of
asterisk for users that would want to adopt something like this--there
will be no "figure out what I want and magically create the IVR
dialplan" wizard.  Also, I will not be responsible for telemarketers
accidentally setting your thermostat to 15 degrees.

Gregg