THIS WEEK IN TECTORIA

A community blog celebrating Victoria's booming tech sector

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Got a cool story about technology and creativity in Victoria? Email stories, tips, pictures, links and anything of interest to Tessa Bousfield at: tectoria@viatec.ca

Wifarer develops visitor app for Royal BC Museum

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I love this story in today’s Victoria Times-Colonist. Victoria tech firm Wifarer has developed a software system for the Royal B.C. Museum. Visitors will be able to use the app with handheld devices and it’s design to improve the whole experience inside the building.

The app serves as a map, a path-finding tool and a source of information for visitors as they pass particular exhibits. It identifies a user’s location in real time and draws a path to exhibits.

While the Royal B.C. Museum is the first museum to use the product, the system was introduced at the Shops at Prudential Center in Boston and is being tested at some of the largest hospitals, airports, convention centres and stadiums in North America.

The app will also be introduced in the next few months at the Bay Centre in Victoria and Vancouver International Airport. Philip Stanger, Wifarer’s chief executive, said the company makes money by selling the software to venues and believes the enduser should not have to pay for the app. “It’s a service the venue provides the user for engagement,” he said.

We have a family pass for 12 months to the Museum, which attracts a lot of visitors all year round – I can see many people using this app.

Wifarer’s mission is to help venues improve their visitor experience. I can think of a few airports that need its technology very badly.

UVic students develop online mapping tool for renters

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A couple of students at the University of Victoria have developed a new online mapping tool to help people looking for rental accommodation in the city. Computer Science PhD students Jamie Starke and Lars Grammel built the application for prospective renters to see where a rental property is located in proximity to work, school and transit routes in the city.

“When I was looking to rent a place here, I was frustrated by the amount of time I had to spend talking to property management companies to make sure I was aware of everything on the market,” said Starke. “Then I had to look at a map and sort out whether the location works for me. That’s when I decided to take matters in my own hands and create something that would allow users to do both easily and in one online location.”

The mapping tool was created through UVic’s Chisel group, which stands for Computer Human Interaction Software Engineering Lab. Chisel’s “primary objective is to develop tools that support people in performing complex cognitive tasks.”