Tourists will soon have a whole new futuristic way to explore
Singapore – the Singapore Tourism Board (STB) and Google have
collaborated on its partnership to create more Augmented Reality (AR)
experiences. The tourism board is one of two institutions globally that
are part of this pilot programme, and will be providing these
experiences directly on Google Maps for the first time later in the
year.
As part of the pilot, STB will be using Google’s ARCore and
Geospatial Creator to develop new location-based AR experiences that can
be discovered and enjoyed entirely within the Google Maps mobile app.
Subsequently, over a dozen other tourism stakeholders in Singapore will
join the pilot and develop their own location-based AR experiences.
With this expansion, the AR content will now be visible remotely via
Street View on the Google Maps mobile app for a seamless and accessible
experience regardless of location. Users near these landmarks will also
be able to discover the AR content on their mobile devices by scanning
their surroundings using Lens in Maps, as it overlays the physical
surroundings in the real world. This will be helpful for visitors
planning their trips to Singapore, and navigating the island through AR
tours when they are in the country.
In total, 30 places of interest will come together to create an
immersive journey across key tourism precincts in Singapore, including
retail malls along Singapore’s Orchard Road shopping belt, local
heritage businesses in Chinatown and popular museums and attractions.
STB plans to further grow the number of location-based AR experiences in
Google Maps beyond 30, building on its goal of making Singapore the
world’s first “AR City” in Google Maps.
Simon Ang, director, The Collaboratory, Singapore Tourism Board, is
enthusiastic about the potential impact that the pilot can have on local
businesses.
“[Businesses] can leverage AR to tell different stories over the same
spaces, and have their content discoverable and accessible on Google
Maps,” Ang said.
“It also benefits travellers as it aids their discovery of new places
of interest, and enriches them with a deeper understanding of
Singapore’s rich history and culture through interactive storytelling.
This partnership underscores STB’s dedication to testing the use of
frontier technologies which can revolutionise the visitor’s experience
of tomorrow.”