KrokApp is an IT-platform that allows user to hear interesting facts, practical information and useful hints while he moves around the location. KrokApp transforms the country into a big “smart home” – understandable, dynamic and modern.
Currently you can listen information about more than 50 cities of Belarus via the KrokApp mobile program. Content is available in three languages – Belarusian, English and Russian. A prototype for Czech and Chinese languages has already been developed. Content providers actively add content to the common BigData server krokapp.com, which instantly provides access to electronic data to all users.
The KrokApp IT-platform is open for improvement and development by programmers, as well as for replenishing useful data from historians, professional guides, tourist centers, regional specialists in local history, museums and amateurs.
Common using scenario
Tourist Jan makes a transfer in Minsk from a train to an airplane; he has 10–20 hours of free time. KrokApp offers him a certain number of points to visit regarding a certain number of free hours. In addition, if Jan expresses a desire to have a meal and buy something, KrokApp will correct the route accordingly.
Solved problem
There are 110 cities in Belarus. The number of cities with which it is possible to get acquainted via mobile programs (not audio guides) located in the Google Play mobile program store: up to 20. There are less than 10 mobile programs with audio content about big cities of Belarus. There is no single program that would collect and conveniently present historical and cultural information about the cities of Belarus. It should also be noted that there are more than 27,000 settlements in Belarus about which it is possible to tell via modern means to a wider audience – to foreign tourists, residents of cities and residents of the settlements themselves.
According to the results of a survey of casual passers, only 1 respondent out of 20 was able to name the landmarks located not in one city, but in at least 5 different settlements.
Social effect
- Providing quality service and representation of cities and places to foreigners.
- Ensuring interest in the heritage of the Belarusian culture of local residents of cities and other settlements.
- Advertising and promotion of little-known regional objects of cultural and historical significance.
- Raising the level of national self-awareness of the inhabitants of Belarus.
- Attracting attention to objects of cultural and historical significance that are in disrepair (architecture objects).
Project advances
- The working model of KrokApp was created. It was published and freely available on the Google Play mobile app’s online store: goo.gl/v5RRTu
- The Internet platform of the project was created, domains: krokapp.by, krokam.by, krokapp.com, krokam.com.
- Available languages: Belarusian, English, Russian, Czech (prototype), Chinese (prototype).
- It is possible to get acquainted with some facts about 50+ cities of Belarus.
- The project won the «Regional Programs» nomination in the Social Weekend 8contest of social projects.
- The project in mass-media – articles in the official newspapers «Science», «SB: Belarus Today», on TV: TUT.by, a report about the project in the «Main Air» program on Belarus-1 TV channel, news portals of regional cities.
- The project is successfully promoted via social networks – Vkontakte and Facebook.
Contact
for new points and comments: ssrlab221@gmail.com.
Developers
Speech Synthesis and Recognition Laboratory of United Institute of Informatics Problems of the NAS of Belarus (https://ssrlab.by/). The content was created with the support of specialists from The Institute of the NAS of Belarus.
Other audio guides
https://krokam.com/
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