Dublin City Council launched Dublin Discovery Trails – ‘Doors into Docklands’, the first in a series of mobile app based immersive discovery trails with innovative Augmented Reality. The App, which has been co funded by Dublin City Council and Fáilte Ireland through its Destination Town Investment Scheme will help to further unlock the tourism potential of the Docklands by bringing the area and its story to life for visitors in a new and immersive way.
This App is an innovative way to see the history of the Docklands come to life through Augmented Reality which combines the real-world history with smart technology. This App merges the old and the new, combining history and technology, and will guide the user in their own time on a journey of discovery to some of the Docklands most loved sites and attractions, enabling them to uncover compelling stories of Dublin’s culture, heritage and history via Augmented Reality technology.
You can experience the Guinness barges sailing down the River Liffey, to the Crimean Banquet held in the CHQ and the story of the famine statues. Along the trail you can see the ‘history come to life’ with a 360-degree view of the Custom House fires blazing in 1921, the Scherzer Bridges in 2D animation and Port workers in the Diving Bell toiling at the bottom of the sea. You will also meet many Augmented Reality characters telling their stories from Captain Bligh who surveyed Dublin Bay in the 1800’s to Maggie Doyle telling her tale as a Docker’s daughter.
Lord Mayor of Dublin Caroline Conroy, launching this exciting new App said, “this is amazing technology, bringing a part of Dublin alive that most of us have never seen! It’s really exciting innovation and as Lord Mayor, I’m proud to see Dublin at the forefront of smart tourism technology joining the past and the future together. I’d like to take the opportunity to encourage visitors and Dubliners alike to download the App and try out this immersive new experience.”
Dublin City Council directed the implementation of this exciting first trail on Dublin Discovery Trails App, ‘Doors into Docklands’ developed by Peel X. The development of the Docklands Augmented Reality trail was in collaboration with representatives from Fáilte Ireland, Dublin Port Company, OPW, EPIC, Smart Dublin and Dublin City Council Culture Company.
The Dublin Discovery Trails App is a platform on which multiple Dublin tourism agencies and local authorities can develop new and exciting immersive experiences. The underlying tender framework facilitated by Dublin City Council has structured Dublin Discovery Trails as a centralised App to provide immersive experience development across Dublin. Members of this tender framework include Fáilte Ireland, Dublin Port Company, Waterways Ireland and the four Dublin Local Authorities.
The App is a first-of-its-kind development for Dublin City Council and further promotes the capital’s position as a leading ‘Smart City’. The App is aimed at locals and visitors to the City who want to know more about and experience the history of the Docklands from a new and unique perspective. It will transport the user back in time using 3D graphics, animations, and storytelling immersing them in historical scenes and shocking events from the Docklands’ past.
Karl Mitchell, Director of Service Area Management in Dublin City Council said, “the App was jointly funded by Dublin City Council and Fáilte Ireland and the innovative technology that was developed offers a new way for visitors and locals to experience the capital city like never before. This App through its immersive Augmented Reality technology allows users to explore the City’s Docklands in an engaging and exciting way. You can find out more about Dublin’s maritime history, visit famous landmarks and heritage sites, uncover hidden wonders, and experience history and culture in a new fun way.”
Speaking at the launch, Paul Keeley, Director of Regional Development at Fáilte Ireland said, “today’s tourists are looking for more unique and compelling ways to immerse themselves in the local culture, heritage and history of a destination, Fáilte Ireland was pleased to the support the development of the innovative Doors into Docklands heritage trail through our Destination Town Investment Scheme. Building on the work being done to date as part of the Docklands Destination Experience Development Plan, this interactive Augmented Reality heritage trail will also help improve visitor flow to the area and will encourage visitors to stay longer both during the day and into the evening, further spreading the economic benefits of tourism to the local businesses.”
The App uses a Wi-Fi or data connection to download the initial content including the geo-enabled landmarks and map. These landmarks will be a prompt for visitors to point their phones where the images and videos will then appear. There is no need for a live data connection while using the App, as everything is stored on your phone after the initial content download, so users won’t be charged for expensive data roaming during their experience.
The digital trails App is part of a larger Smart Tourism strategy to invest in digital to transform Dublin’s tourism experience for how we tell the story and history of the city. This flagship project will help further position Dublin as a world class tourism destination with this new unforgettable digital experience and create the building blocks to deliver many more unique and tailored experiences.
Source: Dublin City Council
