LOCCATA – Idea

The Montafon made points with the European satellite enterprise, GALILEO with the following idea:  Hikers have the opportunity to receive information about the special features of the natural and cultural landscapes using their mobile telephone.

The project idea originated from the company, Telesis in Alberschwende.  The partners in the project are the Stand Montafon, Schruns-Tschagguns Tourism, Gaschurn-Partenen Tourism, Lovely Systems and the Oldenburg Computer Sciences Institute - OFFIS.

The project team will establish a location in the Montafon and make comprehensive information available in numerous languages.

Information about the historic sites on the village walkabout in Gaschurn can already be accessed today under the telephone number 05556 90 810 220!

Today you still have to call a number, but in the future the phone numbers will be updated and location based.  Once the project is completed, the satellite will ascertain the location of the hiker and the mobile terminal will inform the hiker about the points of interest that are located close by.

The new information system also functions as a safety system because it is conceivable that danger zones will also be registered in the graphic information data bank, and the hiker will be warned about them by the satellite system (for example, people on ski tours).  Apart from that, the mobile telephone or other mobile terminals, like PDA’s, offer practically boundless information for the local population and guests alike.

Current information about accommodations, hotel offers, hikes, ski trails or cultural events can be made available.  New hiking possibilities and modern and novel geo-coaching could also soon be offered in the Montafon.

Bernhard Maier from the Stand Montafon:

“Very advantageous for the acceptance of the project was the fact that the Montafon started collecting graphic information data quite early on.  Already today, all of the established hiking trails and points of interest in the region have been collected.  We have made all of this geographic data available to the project.  The satellite system will locate the position of the hiker, this will be compared to the GIS data, and information which corresponds to the co-ordinates will be passed on to the hiker through a third component to the mobile terminal.  This project is bound to score high points among experts because it is a concrete and practical application.”

Manuel Bitschnau from Schruns-Tschagguns Tourism:

“We are very interested with the project because it is very important to us to bring the beauty and highlights in the region closer to our guests.  This concept will make it possible to draw the guest’s attention to the special features in the region and simultaneously see and hear about them.”

Thomas Drechsler, Gaschurn-Partenen Tourism

“Life without the mobile telephone as a method of communication is unimaginable.  I am convinced that with this project, we have focused on the right technology, namely, one that is wide-spread.  We will be able to increasingly draw the attention of our guests to local points of interest and give them more to take home from their holiday in the Montafon.”

Jodok Batlogg, Lovely Systems:

“Technologically speaking, we are lucky that the mobile telephone system technology is so sophisticated and wide spread.  In addition, we were also given the opportunity to work on a research project that was subsidised by the Federal Ministry, which enabled us to bring the mobile telephone system technology together with the internet.  This has already made it possible to access information in the Montafon by calling a number at the standard rate.  See the historic site village walkabout in Gaschurn (05556 90 810 220).

This existing technology convinced the responsible parties of the European satellite project, GALILEO to take the next step in development.  In order to be able to implement this step, we have a strong technology partner on board, namely, the Institute for Information Technology in Oldenburg.  I am looking forward to working together on the forthcoming development work.”

Prof. Susanne Boll, The University of Oldenburg:

“Satellite navigation systems are known to many automobile drivers.  A display with an electronic voice guides the driver to his or her destination.  The LOCATTA project goes one step further.  On a hiking trail, there isn’t just one destination, but many.  It is not important here whether or not to turn left or right, but more that the destinations contain a lot of information.  The hiker can choose to receive as much information as he wants about the point of interest on the trail.  We supply information for exact defined areas.  This opens a new dimension for the relaying of information.  Many mobile telephone users know the situation of receiving an SMS according to where they happen to be.  They barely step over a border and they get an SMS from another telecommunications company.  We can make a rudimental comparison to this system which often reacts in an area of over one kilometre.  The satellite system, on the other hand, locates the mobile terminal within a metre and is therefore the technology of the future when seen from the point of view of exactitude and data protection.   Data protection, because the satellite does not relay information but only determines the geographical position.  With the LOCCATA project, we can use the knowledge from our institute and transform it into a practical example.  We are convinced that in the long run, the Montafon will profit greatly from processing information.  We also assume that the trade press will pay a great deal of attention to this user example and with it, the Montafon.”

Dr. Andreas Rudigier

“In the course of a LEADER+ project, an idea for the innovative relaying of stories was born.  We chose the museum of local history from the historic site walkabout in Gaschurn in the Montafon as a pilot example and implemented it together with the company, Telesis.  This pilot example is concrete and can be used immediately.  See for yourself and call the telephone number 05556 90 810 220.  This running example lets us anticipate the dimensions and the chance for the future that the LOCCATA project will open.”