Interactive tourist guide: Connecting web 2.0, augmented reality and QR codes

Abstract

This paper introduce the design and implementation of a tourist guide using the combination of three technologies for visiting two of the most important routes in a World Heritage city. The application based on augmented reality will show a video to the user including 3D animations with a route across town displaying all historic buildings. The most emblematic buildings of the city were pictured and modelled and afterwards, a walking tour was designed across the historic site having in mind the interest that culture tourism may have and the impact that this tourism has about World Heritage cities. On the other hand, the tourist map of the city incorporates images of emblematic buildings to visit in any of the two proposed routes. Each image has a QR code which gives access to both textual and multimedia information through a website created for this project. The user will be guided across the tour through the augmented reality application of upon arrival at each building he will be able to access all the information available on the website by scanning the QR code with his smartphone. © 2013 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V.