5. The final result: process and use

CICER1 users program the tour before leaving (fig. 10). They are often foreign and document themselves accurately before reaching Italy. They chooses accurately the places and visit CICER1 website and register themselves. This step creates a personal profile containing the chosen points of interest and preferences. The incoming agency tracks the tourist and prepares the personalized CICER1. At the arrival, the tourist is delivered the PDA with the cartographic layers and the POI chosen online. The files are uploaded on the PDA in order to have information when wireless connection is absent. CICER1 is easy and immediate to use: the screen displays the Florence orthophoto, different icons and colors indicating the POI categories (fig. 11). A little blinking point indicates the tourist moving, and when he is approaching a p.o.i he can get pushed information as well as add his own impressions. In fig. 11 there are two POI: one is Ponte Vecchio and the other a restaurant called “Le Giubbe Rosse”. Pointing it out with the PDA pen causes the visualization of the corresponding database record. This function, common to all GIS, allows users to switch from the cartographic layer to the attribute table linked to it. In CICER1; the POI cartographic layer is a point shape file, and by activating it and clicking on a feature it is possible to see the attribute table (fig. 12). It is possible to find location through GIS and GPS coordinates, obtain on demand information and visualize the distance covered. It is possible to upload personalized tours in a polyline shape file format. To be implemented are network analysis, in particular shortest path calculation that would allow tourists to find POI in shortest time.

FIG. 9 – POI DATABASE (Team “CICER1” elaboration, 2003)

FIG. 10 – POSSIBLE CICER1 USER PROCESS (Team “CICER1” elaboration, 2003)

FIG. 11 – TWO POINTS OF INTEREST (Team “CICER1” elaboration, 2003)

FIG. 12 – POINT OF INTEREST’S ATTRIBUTE TABLE (Team “CICER1” elaboration, 2003)