The 7,000 delegates to the Intelligent Transport Systems World Congress being staged in Melbourne this week will be using an indoor routing and venue mapping app from German company HERE on their smartphones to find their way around the event.
HERE is the official mobile app partner for the congress which kicks off on Monday and concludes on Thursday
The World Congress app will give delegates access to live journey planning with indoor and outdoor routing to a range of points of interest, including local attractions, ATMs, venue facilities, transport options and cafes all around Melbourne.
Susan Harris, CEO ITS Australia, says she believes the HERE app will transform the way people interact with the event.
{loadposition peter}"With over 7,000 delegates set to embark on MCEC and our partner venues over the week of the World Congress, to be able to accurately navigate their way to different sessions and exhibitions, whilst also having an understanding of their real-time environs will be hugely beneficial for the overall experience of our delegates.
“As a Congress focussed on demonstrating the latest technology in traffic and transport, why wouldn't we want to create an app to match!"
HERE developed the custom built ITS venue map by converting event floor plans into a digital 3D format. User’s mobiles then respond to wifi and beacon technology - which has been installed within the venues - to enable precise indoor positioning and navigation.
HERE APAC Director, Brent Stafford, said he is excited to showcase the “cutting edge technology” at an event synonymous with transport technology.
"It's only fitting that when the world's leaders in transport and logistics come together at ITS World Congress 2016, they will get to experience the most advanced 3D venue map and indoor navigation application ever deployed for an event of this scale. It's a huge milestone for HERE and a great achievement for ITS.
"It’s truly three dimensional navigation, transitioning from GPS positioning outdoors to indoor routing within the venue and switching levels as users move up or down staircases, lifts and elevators for a seamless experience.”
“Common everyday mapping apps typically provide a separate user experience for indoor maps and then outdoor maps. This is the first time a truly seamless multimodal indoor -outdoor 3D map and navigation platform has been deployed with such level of detail.”
"The World Congress app is really giving delegates a first-hand experience of the real-time smart city technologies that will enable tourists and citizens to navigate the cities of the future."
Susan Harris says that with additional features such as the ability for delegates to send each other messages, engage with presenters through live polling and discussions, and share insights with external audiences through social media channels, the ITS World Congress app is set to create a “holistic approach to the ITS World Congress and dovetail into the whole purpose of the week”.
Delegates to the ITS congress can download the app by searching ITS World Congress 2016 in their app store.