A smart platform for Personalized Tours
An ΙοΤ platform based on the use of beacons.
The goal of ProxiTour is to design and develop an intelligent and easy-to-use interactive platform that will allow tours along with providing personalized real-time information based on the location of the user (Location Based Information Platform) by introducing the concept of personalized narrative. The tour can be both outdoor and indoor and will be of cultural, tourist and environmental interest, and it will be expandable in high traffic areas where there is a significant concentration and movement of population. With the use of state-of-the-art technologies such as Internet of Things, smart devices and other modern tools and systems, the platform will offer complete promotion and support of cultural activities in order to better promote the digital inventory in terms of culture, tourism, environment and in a way that it targets the age and personal interests of visitors while it is expected to significantly improve their tour experience.
How It Works
The way ProxiTour platform will operate will be mainly based on the use of beacons (wireless transmitters detected by Bluetooth from users’ mobile phones) along with the smart devices that tourists – visitors will have in their possession. The beacons will be placed near specific points of interest with the purpose that when a visitor is located within their range for a specific period of time, he /she receives digital material and information on his device.
Thus, the visitor will have the opportunity to be informed in real time about things that are relevant to his / her interests and correspond to his / her position within the field of activity.
The goal
ProxiTour’s goal is to provide the appropriate infrastructure, systems and tools, to organizations and businesses operating in museums, archaeological places, exhibitions etc., in order to provide the best experience to their visitors while acquiring knowledge that will allow them to understand their needs and interests.
The system
The proposed system includes many different technical and research challenges. The average technological readiness level (TRL–Technology Readiness Level) of the proposed project is 6 (demonstration of technology in a related environment). In order to better control the implementation of the software that will make up the system, it will also be piloted in real-life to identify possible defects or design errors and correct them. In particular, the pilot will be carried out in the archaeological museum of Ioannina, in collaboration with the Ioannina Archaeological Service, introducing to the tour real exhibits and information material that will be used by the visitors of the museum.
Using the proposed system and with the appropriate actions and investments, points of interest may become a pole of attraction for educational, archaeological, geotourist, religious and natural lovers tourism, depending on the specific characteristics of the area. An evolution that can give growth dynamics to the local economy and entrepreneurship that is currently in recession.
Ways to exploit the system
The ways of exploiting it, vary. The flexibility Software as a Service approach can make it easily purchasable for large cultural organizations, both domestically and internationally. The experience and know-how acquired by Terracom, currently having more than 750 customers in 55 countries, will help to establish the product as a first-choice solution at international level. The great experience in similarly sized projects possessed by all the members of this partnership and their different and complementary abilities guarantee the successful implementation of this project.
