Database and Signposting Interreg IVA 2 Seas ‘Accessing the Countryside’

Introduction 1.What is Westtoer? 2.Our Mission 3.Facts and Figures

What is Westtoer? Westtoer is an autonomous company for tourism and recreation in the province West-Flanders

Our Mission Westtoer has an assignment to prepare and execute the touristic policy in West- Flanders. This is done in cooperation with the provincial government : -We support tourism in West-Flanders as an economical sector -We develop recreational products -Westtoer is a midfield organisation, situated between the flemish and the local government

Facts and Figures Staff 82 employees 79,02 fulltime equivalents Divided over 5 departments Situated in Bruges General Management Regional activities MARKETING Personnel, Administration and Finance Strategic Planning and Data Management Product Development

Westtoer in Accessing the Countryside In the ATC project Westtoer realised 2 activities : 1.The development of a database for the maintenance of the recreational network 2.The signposting of the green and blue network

Activity 1 : Database Westtoer develops a list of products for recreational pupose : Cycling – 36 cycling loops – LF-itineraries, including Coast Cycling route – 1 Cycle network Hiking – 52 loop-shaped scenery hike trails – 15 loop-shaped inheritance hike trails Horseback riding – 15 loop shaped trails Motoring/car driving – 10 loop shaped trails

Activity 1 : Database -Overview of the recreational products to maintain: -Recreational loops -Hiking trails : 424 km -Cycling trails : 1629 km -Horseback riding : 307 km -Motor/car driving : 678 km -Moutainbike : 364 km -Networks -Hiking network : 673 km -Cycle network : 2664 km

Activity 1 : Database -Pro-active system for the reporting of complaints about the recreational network -How? -630 volunteers (godfather and godmother of a part of the recreational network) -Task? -Checking the recreational loops and networks -Reporting of problems with signposting -Period? -April till october -Frequency? -5 times -3 volunteers / loop or network

Activity 1 : Database Type of recreational product : Number of volunteers – Hiking loops : 160 volunteers – Cycle loops : 146 volunteers – Horse Back riding : 14 volunteers – Car and Motor routes : 7 volunteers – Mountainbike : 21 volunteers – Cycle Network : 274 volunteers – Coast cycle network : 13 volunteers – Hiking network : 203 volunteers

Activity 1 : Database Each year Westtoer organises 3 meetings for the volunteers : -2 meetings in february and march to start the season -1 meeting in september for a dedicated part of the volunteers (f.e. bikers, walkers …) for which a half day program is offered by Westtoer.

Activity 1 : Database -Internal organisation Westtoer -1 FTE Administration volunteers -Task : -Organisation of the check-ups -Organisation of meetings with volunteers -First point of contact with the volunteers -Handling complaints (reception ans feedback) -1/2 FTE Coordination Maintenance -Task : -Reception of the complaints (research in the TRIS database, contact with municipalities …) -Coordination of the maintenance teams -3,8 FTE Maintenance -Task : -Solving complaints -Feedback on complaints -Realisation of new recreational products

Activity 1 : Database -When you have to manage all the recreational products you need, besides a group of very dedicated volunteers and staff at Westtoer, a system to manage it all. -The answer to this is the TRIS database.

Activity 1 : Database -TRIS = Touristic and recreational Information System -Technical -Based on JAVA technologie and LAMP stack -Manages alfanumerical data and geographical data in one environemt. -Open Source technology – source available for everyone on GITHUB account

Activity 1 : Database -Goals in the ATC project : -A GPS steered task list : this system enables a daily list to be sent to every team with tasks or issues to resolve. The use of GPS will make the process of identifying and solving problems along the newtork more efficient and effective -A GIS solution to be used on rugged hand held palm tops : To enable the efficient on-site management of paths networks by volunteers and field staff. Tasks include the marking of diversions on the network, preparing the positioning of signposting and interpretation boards along the network and recording any problems to enable them to be effectively resolved.

Activity 1 : Database -Goals in the ATC project : -Portable hand-held device linked to IT database system for use in the field : A portable extension for the volunteers to print the materials needed to monitor and assess their section of the network

Activity 1 : Database -TRIS database : -To reach the goals as defined in the ATC project, it was necessary to build a database in which all data about the recreational network was storaged and which allowed us to manage all available data. -We choose for the JAVA technology because it is very easely scalable and because it is open source. This means that all of our development code is available on a GIT HUB Account -The TRIS datbase contains : -GIS data : Trajects, junctions, Signposting -Alfalnumerical data : Adresses of the volunteers -Schemes to check the recreational network -A tool to manage complaints -A tool to manage the GIS part (editing the recreational network)

Activity 1 : Database -TRIS database :

Activity 1 : Database -TRIS database :

Activity 1 : Database -TRIS database :

Activity 1 : Database -A GPS steered task list : -Westtoer has 4 men working for the maintenance of the recreational network -Each day they get their tasks by the coordinator -On their iPad they see a list of complaints dedicated to their team -In the field they resolve the complaints by changing their status from open to closed -By using topographic maps and the build-in GPS on the device, they are able to see the position on the map -Based on the built-in GPS they see the complaints in an order based on the ‘nearby’ principle of GPS tracking

Activity 1 : Database -Daily list of complaints

Activity 1 : Database Assign the complaints to a team

Activity 1 : Database The GPS steered task list on iPad

Activity 1 : Database Changing the status of a complaint

Activity 1 : Database -A GIS solution to be used on rugged hand held palm tops -The people who maintain the recreational network have now iPads on which a GIS solution is embedded. -They can add new signposting to the database, prepare the positioning of signposting, remove signposting, add temporary signposting in case of deviations … -This work is done online in direct connection with the TRIS database

Activity 1 : Database -A GIS solution : New signposting

Activity 1 : Database -A GIS solution : New signposting

Activity 1 : Database -A GIS solution : Managing signposting

Activity 1 : Database -Portable hand-held device linked to IT database system for use in the field : -Every volunteer gets anb unique ID which is linked to their part of the network they have to supervise and to the date on which they have to do this -This unique ID is used to login to the TRIS database -In their part of the database they can : -Report the complaints on their part of the network -Look up the updates of the status of their complaints -See the complaints of other volunteers -Print the working map with trajects and signposting on their part of the network. -All of these functionalities are usable on an iOS or on an android tablet

Activity 1 : Database -Portable hand-held device linked to IT database system for use in the field : -Every volunteer gets anb unique ID which is linked to their part of the network they have to supervise and to the date on which they have to do this -This unique ID is used to login to the TRIS database -In their part of the database they can : -Report the complaints on their part of the network -Look up the updates of the status of their complaints -See the complaints of other volunteers -Print the working map with trajects and signposting on their part of the network. -All of these functionalities are usable on an iOS or on an android tablet

Activity 1 : Database -Portable hand-held device linked to IT database system for use in the field

Activity 1 : Database -Portable hand-held device linked to IT database system for use in the field

Activity 1 : Database -Portable hand-held device linked to IT database system for use in the field

Activity 2 : Signposting -The goal of this part of the project is the realisation of signposting on the green and blue network -What is the green and blue network? -A part of the recreational network in West-Flanders uses paths along waterways and old railway tracks. -These green and blue connections are very important for the cyclists. -These green and blue connections are a network of almost 400 km.

Activity 2 : Signposting

Signposting : -The signposting consists out of a high pole with on top the signposting pannels -On the signposting pannels you can see the name of the next village or town and the number of kilometers -The green and blue network is signposted in two directions. -Total amount of signposts : 152 -Total amount of singposting pannels : 577

Thank you for your attention!