Alex Trelinski
BENIDORM wants its Old Town equipped with a high-tech navigation system, NaviLens, to guide visitors around the area via a mobile smartphone app.
Code points would be erected around the area to pick up a signal to allow access to real-time information in over 30 languages.
Besides offering directions, the information provided could include COVID-19 protocols, water quality, temperatures, UV index figures, and weather forecasts.
The pick up range is far better compared to those for QR codes and could stretch to as far as 15 metres from a code point.
One benefit would be to help visually impaired users make their way round, as the display provides high visibility directional arrows along with audio.
Benidorm mayor, Toni Perez, said: “The simplicity and the versatility of the system makes it a key tool in us developing the city as a Smart Tourist Destination.”
The network would cost €40,000 to install in Benidorm, helped by a 50% grant from the Valencian Government.
The technology was developed by the University of Alicante and the Murcia-based Neosistic company.
It’s already used in Alicante on its buses and at El Postiguet beach, as well as on the New York and Barcelona transport networks.
