Latest news with #wayfinding
CBC
3 days ago
- Business
- CBC
Peace River, Alta., uses secret shopper to get ideas to boost local tourism
Social Sharing A secret shopper, hired by the Town of Peace River, highlighted better wayfinding and making the downtown more of a hangout as some ways to boost tourism in the community. Disguised as an everyday tourist, tourism consultant Roger Brooks spent a week exploring everything the northwestern Alberta town has to offer, and pinpointing ways it could become more inviting for visitors. Brooks shared his impressions and suggestions during a community presentation earlier this week, with the mayor, town staff and roughly two dozen business owners in attendance. "After working in 60 different cities and towns across Alberta, I thought that Peace River was going to be another Prairie town," said Brooks, who works with the Destination Development Association, an organization based in Washington state. "You have everything here." He said the town, located about 390 kilometres northwest of Edmonton, has all the necessities, like retail spaces and quality schools and medical services. He was particularly struck by the amount of recreation. "A five-minute drive in any direction, you will find something else that you can do. That was impressive," Brooks said. But the activities and attractions could be better advertised, and signage needs to be improved, he said. "Help us find out what you have," Brooks said. He noted that Peace River is chopped up into different portions — the north, south, west and lower west sides — plus the downtown. "Without directional signage, it's really hard to figure out where things are," he said. According to the town, some changes are already in the works, including improving wayfinding and signage. It is considering other suggestions, like ways to advertise attractions. One of the takeaways for Mayor Elaine Manzer was that the town has to expand where it's trying to attract people. She noted that Brooks suggested a 45-kilometre range of daily trips. "We've basically been concentrating on the town and what the town has," Manzer said. "Sure, we want visitors to town, [but] to get those visitors to come here, we perhaps need more than just 'town things.'" 'The community living room' Second on Brooks' list was giving the downtown area a little boost that would entice people to spend more time there. Brooks suggested using empty lots as community spaces where people can gather, improving window displays for individual businesses and adding more benches. "We want people to hang out downtown. We want it to be the community living room," he said. The municipality has done what it can to beautify the area, he said, listing pole banners and hanging baskets of flowers as examples. But local businesses "haven't done very much to pull people in their doors. That's probably the weak link." Local business owners say they are still recovering from the financial impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, and experiencing more break-ins, thefts and vandalism. Combined, those factors have made for tough sledding, they say, but they're eager to take Brooks' advice. "He's spot on with a lot of things. I know a lot of people in Peace River who own other businesses; I think they would agree with me that what he said is true," said Pheonix Nilsson, who owns and operates the local Reddi Mart and Great Canadian Dollar Store. Nilsson agreed particularly with the community spaces, recalling a trip he took to Seattle two years ago. "They had that, and I thought that was freaking fantastic," he said. "I spent more time there than I did out shopping because it was a lot of fun. You got to meet people." Nilsson said he's considering expanding the seating area outside of his store, adding some more flower pots, and investing in some life-size board games for the community to use. "Maybe let go of the old ways and start implementing new things," he said.
The Guardian
26-06-2025
- Sport
- The Guardian
‘Amazing for blind people': app helps cricket fan find way around Lord's
'In 19ft turn slightly left,' said a robotic voice from the iPhone in Moshfique Ahmed's hand as he tried to find a seat at Lord's cricket ground in London. 'Take the stairs,' it said as Ahmed, an England visually impaired cricketer, tapped his white cane on his way towards the Edrich stand without any other assistance. 'There is one landing. Turn to nine o'clock at the bottom of the stairs. You have arrived at row five.' Ahmed was one of the first people to try new wayfinding technology installed this week at Lord's to help blind, partially sighted and disabled fans to better access live sports. Waymap, the company behind the app-based navigation tool, claims the 31,000-capacity cricket stadium is the world's first sports arena to be fitted with a personal GPS that aims to offer a fine-grain version of traffic satnavs for stadiums, shopping centres and transport networks. Waymap used a £50,000 camera to scan every staircase, walkway, slope, doorway and concourse to create a digital twin of the historic cricket ground, allowing its app to guide people metre-by-metre to their destination. It has been installed in advance of next month's England v India Test match. The Marylebone cricket club, which runs Lord's, believes it could also help other cricket fans find the most accessible routes around the complex. 'The idea is amazing for blind people,' said Ahmed, who tested the app at the Guardian's request after playing in an exhibition match on Wednesday. 'If it works 100% properly, I can come to the train station myself, I can cross the road myself and I can come to the stadium and find my way with the app. I know so many people who are into sports but don't go. This would push the door completely open for them.' It was the first time he had used the app and there were a couple of false starts – it briefly suggested he head in the wrong direction and once directed him towards a staircase that was temporarily closed. It also stopped him at row 20 of the Edrich stand instead of row 5 as instructed. But the problems appeared to be as much down to the app and the user getting used to each other. For example, the app needs to be calibrated to the individual user's stride pattern, which explained why it had directed him to the wrong row. 'It needs to be accurate and trustworthy,' said Ahmed, who lost most of his sight in 2017. Celso Zuccollo, the chief executive of Waymap, said: 'Waymap is a new way of navigating. It usually takes a few walks for new users to learn how to use the app most effectively – and for it to learn your walking style. The more you use it, the better it gets. 'The goal would be [to extend it to places like] Wembley, football stadiums and cricket stadiums, and we're in talks with horse racing tracks,' he said, adding that property managers could update the maps in real time if food trucks were positioned in different areas or certain pathways were closed. The app, which is already available for users of the public transit system in Washington DC, does not alert the partially sighted user to the movements of other members of the public, particularly those wandering around looking at their phones, whom Ahmed said were still the biggest obstacle to him getting around safely and comfortably.
CTV News
18-06-2025
- Health
- CTV News
LHSC set to roll out new navigation app and cancer support program for young patients
In an ongoing effort to enhance the hospital experience for both patients and staff, London Health Sciences Centre (LHSC) is introducing a cutting-edge wayfinding solution designed to make navigating its sprawling facilities easier than ever. Finding your way through LHSC can be a challenge. That's why the hospital is rolling out MazeMap, a global navigation app that offers an interactive digital map to help users reach their destinations more efficiently. 'We have almost four-million in square feet across all our sites, so navigating hospitals is not always easy,' said Nick Vlacholias, vice president of Facilities and Support Services at LHSC. The app, which is expected to launch in the coming weeks, functions similarly to common navigation tools, but is optimized for indoor hospital settings. 'We leverage parts of our network infrastructure within the hospital to do that blue dot location,' explained Andrew Mes, LHSC's Chief Information Officer. 'That's how, as patients navigate through the system, they'll know where they are on the map.' LHSC A map of London Health Sciences Centre (LHSC). (Source: LHSC) Alongside its digital innovation, LHSC also unveiled a new Adolescent and Young Adult (AYA) Program aimed at providing specialized cancer care for patients aged 15 to 39. 'Our hope is that this will allow access to specialized supportive care services, tailored to their psychosocial needs, sexual health, and fertility needs,' said Dr. Andrew Arifin, radiation oncologist at LHSC. The program seeks to bridge a care gap by offering tailored services that address the unique challenges faced by young people undergoing cancer treatment. When asked about his ongoing role at LHSC during Wednesday's media briefing, David Musyj indicated that there would be no immediate changes. 'The answer is pretty much status quo,' he said. The update marked the final public briefing before LHSC takes a break for the summer. Regular monthly updates are scheduled to resume in September.
BBC News
09-06-2025
- BBC News
Permission sought for 20 new signs in Barnstaple
Permission is being sought to install new signs across a town in Devon. Barnstaple Town Council has put forward proposals for 20 wayfinding signs to be installed which will list locations, cultural points of interest and transport directions. They would be partly funded by £3.6m from Flourishing Barnstaple, a North Devon Council initiative. The town council has earmarked a number of areas across the town for the two-metre (6ft) high signs. Flourishing Barnstaple aims to establish Barnstaple as a cultural centre of northern and public art in one part of the project, along with a creative industries' hub in Boutport Street and a performing arts and learning hub at Bridge for the signs is needed from North Devon Council's planning department. Barnstaple Town Council hopes the signs will be installed for footpaths in Boutport Street, Bear Street, the Square, Barnstaple Bus Station, Rock Park at Taw Vale, Mermaid Walk, the intersection of North Walk and Tuly areas include the entrance to Castle Green, entrance to Green Lanes, Cattle market car park in Tuly street, the entrance to Queen's well as, The Strand, outside the museum, intersection of Queen's Street and Mallets Lane, Silver Street entrance to the bus station, Fair View car park, intersection of High street and Mermaid Walk, Tarka Leisure Centre, Long Bridge and Barnstaple Railway Station.
Hospitality Net
02-06-2025
- Business
- Hospitality Net
Lost Guests Are Hurting Revenue: Fix Your Navigation Challenge Before Summer Break
Guests arrive, download your app, and are ready to explore. But instead of discovering everything your resort offers, they get stuck. They ask for directions. They miss out on experiences they would have enjoyed, or head off-site because they didn't realise what was nearby. All because you can't guide them there. This quiet friction frustrates guests, shortens dwell time, and leaves revenue untapped. Many resorts still rely on outdated PDFs or static maps to help guests find their rooms and facilities, creating dead ends in what should be a seamless guest experience. "When guests get lost, they don't just get frustrated. They skip in-house dining, retail, and the premium activities you crafted to enhance their stay," explains Peter O'Dare, VP of Product at "This is more than a guest experience issue. It's costing operators money." Wayfinding isn't just about getting from A to B. It's a strategic tool that can influence where guests go, how long they stay, and how much they spend. To help operators address their navigation challenges before the summer surge, is hosting a short 30-minute webinar on June 12th: "The Resort Operator's Guide to Wayfinding." The session, led by Peter and Sales Manager René Ronk, will start at 10 am. ET and show resort and guest experience leaders how real-time, GPS-enabled navigation—delivered through their existing mobile app—can unlock immediate wins. Used by resorts like Haven, Baha Mar, and Six Flags, MapLayr integrates seamlessly into guest apps to provide branded, intuitive blue-dot wayfinding that eliminates confusion and highlights key locations. Attendees will learn how to: Remove guest friction with real-time navigation Increase traffic to high-value zones like dining, retail, and premium activities Launch fast using their current app with no rebuild required Used by hundreds of venues worldwide, MapLayr is already helping operators make mapping guests' most-loved app feature, and a key revenue lever. Click here to register for the live webinar. And get the recording delivered directly to your inbox if you can't make it on the day. Ellen Kasinopoulou Head of Marketing 01889 560218
