Hindustan Times ST (Jaipur)

No need of guides, tourists now can use beacon app to navigate

- Manoj Ahuja manoj.ahuja@hindustant­imes.com

Tourists visiting Jaisalmer will now be able to use mobile-based smart beacon App to move around the city and take a tour of the historic places.

The Jaisalmer urban improvemen­t trust (UIT) is installing beacon sensors at 15 popular tourist locations that will enable tourists to visualize the map on the app, chose the route of their liking and move around with ease without depending on touts.

“The sensors will become operationa­l in seven days,” UIT nodal officer Ashok Kumar Asija told Hindustan Times.

At present, tourists have to depend on auto-rickshaw drivers and guides to move around the city and historic places. While there are a limited number of guides authorized by the state tourism department, there are a large number of touts who have cheated the tourists in the past.

“With the smart beacon technology, tourists will have a fully interactiv­e app that can guide them and also provide them with news and informatio­n regarding mobility,” Asija said.

The app will allow tourists’ smart phone to communicat­e through its Bluetooth device with beacons--small wireless sensors positioned at strategic points. In this way tourists can visit historic centers by visualizin­g the map on the app and chose the route to their liking.

While approachin­g monuments and other tourist spots through notificati­ons that appear on their portable device, visitors can also read and listen to informatio­n regarding the historic significan­ce of the place just as they would do with a museum audio guide.

With the use of the beacon technology it is also possible to deliver informatio­n in different languages, therefore also ensuring foreign visitors a perfect use of informatio­n and a pleasant visit of the city.

The locations where beacon are being installed include Sonar Kila, Deewan Salim Singh Ki Haweli, Sam sand dunes, Tanot Mata temple, Gadisar lake, Patwa Haveli, Fossils Park, Ramdevra temple, Mandir Palace and Kuldhara village.

JAIPUR: KOTA:Nowadays,

 ?? HT ?? The UIT is installing beacon sensors at 15 locations in Jaisalmer.
HT The UIT is installing beacon sensors at 15 locations in Jaisalmer.

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