January 24, 2005
Cell phone system providing latest tourist info
Cell phones were used in the first experiment of its kind in Japan to transmit and receive sightseeing information in Kuwana reports the Daily Yomiuri, and now the experiment is taken a step further, allowing mobile users to add their comments in real time, for the benefit other tourists.
"The experiment was conducted by six companies, including an aeronautical map manufacturer and a cell phone company, under the auspices of the Economy, Trade and Industry Ministry.
On Jan. 15, a small group of people used cell phones to add their comments on scenic spots and attractions to a digital map. One added a remark to a picture of Kasuga Shrine: "Here you can take part in the most cheerful festival in Japan."
Other members of the team, playing the role of tourists, retrieved the remarks over their cell phones.
"There is room for improvement in the way we correlate the information," said Hiroyuki Nakahata, chief researcher at Hyakugo Economic Research Institute, which is the project's local coordinator.
"If citizens start sending the latest data in real time, the system could provide tourists with new information that is not in guidebooks," Nakahata said."
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