If you happen to be visiting the historic thousand-year-old Caherconnel Stone Fort in the Burren, Co Clare and possess a mobile phone then you will have a chance to experience truly interactive mobile tourism.
The free interactive guide, developed by mobile media specialists MobaNode, is sent directly to the handset of the visitor via Bluetooth on entering the Caherconnell visitor centre.
It provides an interactive map, an audio tour, a visual tour and more.
“This technology will allow us to immediately provide information to our customers such as the results of our annual archaeological dig at the end of August,” said John Davoren of Caherconnell Stone Fort.
Shane McAllister, founder of Mobanode, has previously worked with events including Electric Picnic and the St Patricks Day Parade to provide mobile applications and functionality.
“Mobile is the ideal platform for content such as this” says Mc Allister.
“Your phone is your constant companion, always with you, and always on and capable of so much more than the humble phone call.”
The application not only includes maps, audio, images, text and links but also the ability to share with friends via SMS.
Following research undertaken by the University of Limerick in ICT adoption and tourism it was found that simply getting information out there through mobile phones was the easiest due to its ubiquity.
“We’ve tried lots of ways to enhance our attraction in the past – maps, guides, a virtual tour, handing out cd players and mp3 players, you name it,” said John Davoren, owner of Caherconnell Stone Fort.
“But when I saw what could be done with mobile content, I knew we had to get involved. The Mobile Guide combines many previously disjointed elements – a paper map, tour stops, audio, photos, into a simple, intuitive application that’s easy to use and informative.”
