AusLeisure

Aiming to enhance the visitor experience and share the stories behind one of South Australia’s most popular attractions, the Adelaide Zoo has become the first zoo in Australia to roll out iBeacon technology.

Set to transform the traditional way visitors experience Adelaide Zoo, the out iBeacon technology pushes information straight to visitor’s iPhones or iPads - acting as a personal tour guide for visitors to Adelaide Zoo, providing location-specific information about the zoo, its animals and conservation work at the touch of a button.

After months of development, and thanks to sponsorship from Beach Energy, the iBeacon technology provides location-specific content to visitors through the use of Bluetooth technology via 65 ‘beacons’ distributed throughout the Adelaide Zoo site.

iBeacons trigger messages on visitor devices, alerting them to points of interest around the zoo and providing interesting and practical information such as species facts, the location of the closest facilities and educational tools.

Zoos SA Tourism and Digital Marketing Coordinator Hayden Zammit said visitors will download the mobile application to hear from keepers directly as they explore Adelaide zoo with interactive maps and learn about the more than 3,000 animals that call the zoo home.

Zammit stated “we can now influence the zoo experience through smart phones and tablets, a great addition to interactions with our keepers and volunteers.

“With this new technology, we are essentially putting a keeper in the palm of every visitor’s hand, modernising the zoo experience and making information much more accessible.

Visitors will be able to download a free App and then access three specific trails offering a range of experiences at different locations around the zoo through their Apple or android device.

A general free trail is available which provides location-specific information on the zoo’s animals, points of interest and facilities.

Two paid sustainability and education trails, a threatened-species and zoo careers trail, are available to schools via the zoo’s education programs, allowing schools to personalise their experiences on site and continue their learning back in the classroom.

Zoos SA Zoo Learning General Manager Jonathan Noble said the new technology was an exciting addition to the Adelaide Zoo learning experience.

Noble added “learning opportunities for visitors and students at the zoo will be transformed with the app providing an interactive experience, including photos, information, audio recordings, videos and games.

“The app is a fantastic educational tool, allowing students to unlock previously unseen information and use it to learn about important animal and conservation issues.”

The app was partly financed by Zoo sponsor Beach Energy and technology partner Specialist Apps. 

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