Locast is not just a simple location-based media project. It consists in a articulated platform that can support the entire tourist experience, starting from the moment when you organize your visit until when you are back home, showing your souvenirs to friends and parents. In particular, Locast tools improve each of the 4 phases of the touristic experience:
While at home organizing your visit, Locast can give you an overview on the place you are about to visit: videos taken from RAI TV archives or shared in real-time by other Locasters during their visit, featured itineraries, eBooks and PDF documents to be downloaded and read when you prefer. Furthermore, you can create and setup your Locast account and start to build your itineraries or select your favorite casts.
While traveling to your visit destination, Locast keeps you informed with information on transportations, weather, webcams and important alerts such as those related to Venice tides or strikes. You can also download on your mobile devices (iPods, phones, etc) the “Food for your eyes” podcasts to be watched while waiting to reach your destination.
Locast offers a number of tools to improve your experience during your visit. Its infrastructure based on a distributed web application, a mobile service and a wearable data visualization device can augment the perception of the spaces and add to them further elements that enrich the overall experience. The mobile application gives you an effective tool to navigate in Venice and orientate yourself. Additionally, you can watch videos both taken from RAI archives or shared by other Locasters, shoot your own videos and spread them in real-time to the Locast community and to all the friends in your social network (Facebook or Twitter). Thanks to the XPS positioning system, the location-based features are also available while in indoor locations. Finally, our wearable device can be used to accurately move in the city, easily follow itineraries and reach the main visit places.
Locast keeps you in touch also when you go back home. Thanks to the personalized URL / page, you can share with the whole Locast community, friends or parents your experience in Venice. The wearable data visualization device can be converted in a picture frame that displays real-time pictures coming from other Locast users that are visiting Venice.