An experiment to provide guidance for the construction of the Tampere tramways with Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) beacons is taking place during the remainder of 2018. Beacons transmit data about the progress of and changes caused by the construction work in the beacon’s vicinity. The signal emitted by a beacon can be picked up by all mobile devices equipped with the Nearby app whenever Bluetooth is enabled.

The service can also be accessed with near-field communication (NFC) solutions or by scanning a QR code. Mobile devices within the range of the beacon’s signal will receive a silent notification. By clicking on the notification, the user is directed to an online application that transmits content from the Tramway Alliance website and social media accounts and collects feedback from its users. The locations of the beacons are indicated by signs within the area of their range to let people know that they should enable Bluetooth. The purpose of the experiment is to help residents of the city and visitors to prepare for changes caused by the construction work and plant their routes accordingly, and to study the possibility of using beacons in other purposes of work site guidance.

The experiment is performed by Globeon Ltd.

An augmented reality (AR) application based on geolocation was experimented on in Turku in the summer of 2018 at the Seikkisrock festival (16–17 June 2018) and the Medieval Market (28 June–1 July 2018).

The purpose of the experiment was to make it easier for visitors to find and access the venues with the help of clear and attractive AR guidance solutions on the displays of the visitors’ mobile devices. In practice, the cameras of the mobile devices could be pointed towards certain areas that included markers, which indicated the proper routes for accessing the area and the location of parking spaces, for instance. The application could also be used to find the venue’s services, such as toilets, first-aid centres, cafés, stages, sales kiosks etc. Links to the schedule and a list of performers of the event were also available in the application.

The concept is based on positioning the mobile device, which indicates the location of the user in the city or at the venue, where the event is located, and where the services and programme of the event are available and taking place.

The experiment worked well with traditional guidance systems and methods by introducing a new and interesting perspective into guidance solutions.

The experiment was carried out by Panic Marketing Oy.

The Paavo Nurmi Marathon is a major marathon event in Turku. The event, held for the 27th time, has a significant impact on the city’s traffic on the day of the event and sets challenges for providing people by using various methods of transportation with the possibility of planning their routes in advance and during the event. During the event, the difficulty of guiding people towards the city, around the city and at the venues is particularly highlighted. A major area of development is reaching people who use the main roads to access the city by car and enabling visual guidance solutions to minimise the issues caused by traffic, such as congestion.

An experiment on how the digital displays on the main roads to the city could be used to provide guidance concerning the event was performed during the Paavo Nurmi Marathon. The experiment began approximately one week before the event (18 August 2018). The displays provided drivers passing by with information on how to access the venue, where the best places to spectate were located and how to choose the best routes to avoid the congestion near the event.

The experiment was carried out by Blip Oy.

The tourist information services of the City of Turku experimented with the combination of a touchable map and the Chabla application for deaf people in August 2018. The purpose of the experiment was to combine innovative sign language interpretation solutions with a tactile map. This experiment focussed on testing how a tactile map, originally designed for people with visual impairment, would work together with the Chabla application for deaf people so that guidance for the selected “tourist route” was provided by the tactile map and Chabla. Chabla’s role in the experiment was to make guidance and information easily available to deaf people and other people who rely on sign language by means of a novel remote interpretation service innovation.

The aim of the experiment was to find out how well tactile maps serve not only people with visual impairment, but also other visitors such as tourists, and whether the Chabla application would assist employees of the tourist information services when serving deaf customers. In this experiment, the Chabla application was used to provide interpretation services for deaf people via mobile phones. As the interpretation services are available in several languages, its target group also includes tourists.

The experiment was carried out by Avaava Oy.

A platform for publishing event guidance applications. The first application published with the platform was used at the IAAF World U20 Championships in July.

The IAAF World U20 Championships on 10–15 July 2018 introduced the Tampere Events App. The app provides its users with plenty of information regarding the event, routes and services. In the future, the app will be used widely at various events.

The Tampere Events App included information about the schedule of the IAAF World U20 Championships, the services of the Tampere Stadium, benefits offered by partners and guidance and route information. The app’s properties included the possibility of selecting your favourite competition events and setting a notification to notify the user when they started. It was also possible to purchase tickets to the event via the app.

The app makes it easy to find venues, their services and schedules. Users can mark their favourite events in the app and receive notifications about their location and starting time.

The Tampere Events App also includes other major events happening this summer at the Tampere Stadium, such as the international athletic competition between Finland and Sweden and major concerts. In the future, the app will include all events taking place in Tampere.

The app has been deployed and it will be developed further based on the users’ feedback. The current plan is to include information about the length of queues to venues and its services and about traffic in the vicinity of venues in the app.

For professionals, the Tampere Events App will function as a publishing platform where event organisers can publish their own events, either directly in the default view or as a separate app. In addition, service providers can add their own services and offers to the app base. The event organiser will then choose the most appropriate ones for their event. Guidance and route information will be automatically updated in the app through the city’s open data interfaces.

The Tampere Events App can be used for all kinds of events, and it works on both Android and iOS devices. Both the look and the features of events created with the app can be edited as necessary for the event and its partners.

The purpose of the app is not to be used only by event participants and organisers in Tampere, but it is possible to publish events in any city.

The Tampere Events App can be downloaded for free from Google Play Store and Apple App Store.

The Tampere Events App was created by the City of Tampere’s Smart Tampere programme initiative 6Aika: City Guidance Ecosystem and Visit Tampere. The app was funded by the European Regional Development Fund. The app was developed by Eatech Oy.

• The history of the Central Square via augmented reality and 3D models. Developed by Arcventure.
• A gamified tour of the Tampere city centre with augmented reality solutions. Developed by Simlabit Oy.
• Making real-time location-based traffic data available for the public. Developed by Infotripla Oy.
• A browser-based AR application that guides event participants from the Tampere railway station to the Tampere Stadium according to the City’s pedestrian guidance concept.

Functional signs improve the immediate vicinity of the Market Square and direct the flow of people to correct directions. Digital guidance solutions enable providing the Market Square’s customers with customised information on the available water transport options and sites on the islands, as well as the area’s events, services and opening hours.

The concept of digital guidance in the Market Square area is being developed in cooperation with a group of entrepreneurs and companies in the Market Square area.

The following themes and digital services are highlighted in the development of the Market Square area’s guidance solutions:

• Mobile services
• Using artificial intelligence in providing services
• Using digital displays and guidance solutions and beacons
• Other possible digital solutions

The purpose of this experiment is to create prototypes, model and experiment with an interactive urban media platform in the Turku city centre, which will enable the introduction of open data and embedded sensory control to interactive display windows, AR applications and projected media art experiences, for instance.

The main features of the platform are modularity, scalability and easy integration, which enable deploying it in all urban environments with the help of clear instructions and a package including all the necessary devices. An important aspect of the experiment is multilingualism, which will enable scaling the platform and distributing it internationally.

The main objectives of the experiment
– Visualising open data by means of aesthetics and information modelling
– Introducing augmented reality into urban environments
– Using blank windows as a method of distributing information
– Developing a modular and interactive media platform
– Prototyping and studying user experience
– Highlighting significant urban sites by means of illumination and interactive content

Experiment carried out by Jokojo Oy.

The deadline for the second round of applications for the rapid experiments in Tampere has just passed. Proposals to be developed further will be announced soon. The challenges included providing real-time information about queues to venue entrances and their services by using a heatmap, for instance, and providing motorists with information about construction sites to help them plan their routes.