Information booths could mark start of ‘digital transformation’

Interactive information screens could soon appear on the streets of Dundee.

Outdoor advert firm Jcdecaux wants to install 16 free-standing booths that will offer public information, wi-fi access, directions and both wireless and wired phone charging.

The booths – likely to replace the information stands seen around the city – feature 32-inch touchscreens for web browsing and accessing council services.

Disabled people are also being catered for in the form of a touchpad positioned below the main touchscreen, allowing those with mobility issues to control the unit with a mouse.

Each of the booths to be dotted around the city centre will also come equipped with a defibrillator.

They will also feature a phone.

The majority of the facilities would be along Panmure Street, the Murraygate and High Street.

Others will be at the edges of Marketgait, Reform Street and on City Square.

Dundee City Council aims to become a “fully digital” body by next year.

In a covering letter included with its planning application, Jcdecaux said the proposed booths would meet the council’s goal of “creating a modern, connected city for the 21st Century” – without breaking the bank.

The back of the unit will feature an 86-inch advertising display – and the firm says the units will be run “at no cost to the public purse” by selling advertising space.

The letter concludes: “The proposals should be seen as an early step in the digital transformation of the city.”