Adelaide Zoo is using Apple’s iBeacon interactive technology that pushes information straight to an iPhone or iPad, to enhance visitor experience at the zoo.
The technology will act as a personal tour guide for visitors to the zoo, providing location-specific information about the zoo, its animals and conservation work, at the touch of a button.
The zoo, which claims it is the first zoo in Australia to use iBeacon technology, has developed the app with sponsorship from Beach Energy and technology partner Specialist Apps.
Zoos SA tourism and digital marketing coordinator, Hayden Zammit, says visitors will download the mobile application to hear from keepers directly as they explore the zoo with interactive maps and learn about the more than 3,000 animals housed at the zoo.
{loadposition peter}“We can now influence the zoo experience through smart phones and tablets, a great addition to interactions with our keepers and volunteers,” Hayden said.
“With this new technology, we are essentially putting a keeper in the palm of every visitor’s hand, modernising the zoo experience and making information much more accessible.
With the deployment of iBeacon, visitors will be able to download a free App and then access three specific trails offering a range of experiences at different locations around the zoo through their Apple or android device.
A general free trail is available which provides location-specific information on the zoo’s animals, points of interest and facilities.
Two paid sustainability and education trails, a threatened-species and zoo careers trail, are available to schools via the zoo’s education programmes, allowing schools to personalise their experiences on site and continue their learning back in the classroom.
Zoos SA zoo learning general manager Jonathan Noble said learning opportunities for visitors and students at the zoo will be transformed with the app providing “an interactive experience, including photos, information, audio recordings, videos and games”.
“The app is a fantastic educational tool, allowing students to unlock previously unseen information and use it to learn about important animal and conservation issues,” he said.
To download Adelaide Zoo's iBeacon app click here.