Macau Tower Tour Guide System Sam Sze January 15, 2003

Content Introduction to Macau Tower Tour Guide System Demo Discussion

Project Introduction Macau Tower Management assigned University of Macau locally and AD Promotion Limited (an advertisement agent) from Hong Kong to propose and implement a tour guide system in Macau Tower. AD Promotion sources systems from 6 company and university departments in Hong Kong. They selected 3 organization in their first proposal: VIEW Technologies A MP3 Device Maker GXC 權智 (The maker of Instant-Dict 快譯通 ) After the selection by the Macau Tower Management, the final candidates are: VIEW Technologies – Using PDA Approach Macau University – Also using PDA Approach The MP3 Device Maker

What’s Macau Tower An integrated facilitates for: –Entertainment –Concert –International Conference –Ceremony (e.g New Year Count Down) –Government Official Activities –Eating –Theatre –Tower Visit …Like a new town center of Macau

Owner of the Tower Funded by the Macau Entertainment Limited chaired by Dr. Stanley Ho. Managed by the daughter of Stanley Ho.

Location

The Building Exhibition center –Restaurants –Conference rooms Open area Tower

Exhibition Centre

Open Area

The Tower The Tower is 338m high at its highest point. The main observation level is 223m above ground. It is the 10th tallest free-standing tower in the world, 8th tallest in Asia. From the highest viewing deck it is possible to see 55km away. The Tower can withstand winds of up to 400km/h. The steel mast on top of the Tower is 90m tall. The Tower was designed principally by Gordon Moller of CCMBECA, New Zealand.

The Tower

Entering the Tower

Ticket Office (HKD 75 per Adult)

Take the Escalator

Observation Decks 57-58/F 58/FObservation Lounge As the Tower's main viewing deck, the Observation Lounge is a spacious area to relax in. Gaze out over Taipa and Coloane. Look for Macau's landmarks and historical sites. Or try to spot Hong Kong's outlying islands. 57/FSkywalk 1 Could you bear being outside the Tower with only a hand rail to cling to, a metal grid to walk on? Could you stand being in the open a harrowing 216 m above ground? Take in the Tower's awesome height with a rush of adrenaline on the thrilling Skywalk

Observation Decks 59-60/F 60/F360° Café A great place to meet friends, celebrate an occasion or have a romantic dinner, the 360° Café boasts a vast buffet and one of the best backdrops in Macau. Admire every angle of the view as it passes by your table at the revolving restaurant. 59/F180° Lounge Cafe by day and bar by night, the 180° Lounge is a laid-back venue for sundowners and admiring Macau's lights. Live music complements the relaxed atmosphere making this a great alternative to Macau's other night spots.

Observation Decks 61/F 60/FOutdoor Observation Deck & Skywalk 2 Admire the highest possible view of Macau at the Outdoor Observation Deck while enjoying snacks from the Sky Cafe. Then challenge yourself with Skywalk 2 and walk outside the Tower on the upper deck, 61 floors above ground in the open air.

Observation Lounge

Glass Floor Watch out! Sections of the lounge are fitted with glass floor letting you see the ground beneath your feet - 223m away! Step on them if you're brave enough and feel like you're walking on air.

Outdoor Observation Deck

Comparison

Problem Lack of scenic information. The Kiosk only provide general Macau traveling information. The Macau Tower management looks for a tour guide system. With key words: Handheld, Audio, Pictures, Video, Attract Tourist

Solution I Upgrade the Kiosk to support more scenic information. Pros: The cheapest solution. Cons: Need to work with the Portuguese company that installed the Kiosk. Non- personalized.

Solution II MP3 Tour Guide System The user select corresponding audio tracks to describe the scene. Pros: Low Price Cons: Personalized. But limited to audio only.

Solution III Handheld PDA Device Tour Guide Pros: Support video and rich interactive content. Potential to support location sensitive automatic guidance. Cons: Expensive!

Demo Prototype: –Pocket PC –Headphone –128MB SD Card –Leather Case

Challenges Cost of PDA + Peripherals. Power consumption (backup and re-charging scheme). The peak time has 300 visitors. Protect from incorrect usage. (How to turn a general- purpose PDA into a specific tour guide system?) Limited memory to support multiple languages- Audio and picture compression. Check in/out procedure. Content editing. Staff training.

Location Sensitive Tour Guide Useful or Not? Location sensitive measure can be achieved by using Bluetooth to detect nearest fixed location device. We expect the area can basically partitioned into 4 areas (NSWE) only. There will be grey area between partitions. Cannot easily create a comfortable user experience. The user is not in full attention to the tour guide system. The user action is more clear if the user has full control of the system.

Conclusion According to AD Promotion, The Macau Tower Management is impressed by the demonstration. The key factor is the tradeoff between attractiveness and cost. For final decision making by the management, AD Promotion will design a Macau Tower Cartoon Image for including in the demo.

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