iTrove to go commercial Tan Ee Tze 3.10.2004 Computerworld With the completion of a six-month nationwide pilot for the mobile interactive information service iTrove, consortium members Orange Gum and Systems@Work are now making final touches to commercialisation plans. ITrove is aimed at helping tourists and travellers to discover Singapore on the go with the help of mobile devices. Led by Hewlett-Packard and supported by the Singapore Tourism Board, the 26-member consortium has successfully conducted trials of interactive wireless technologies including an end-to-end mobile ticketing system at the Esplanade, an interactive pocket PC-based multi-lingual audio visual solution for the Ducktours theme ride and mobile photo printing solutions, also for Ducktours. Going forward, the consortium will expand accessibility channels to include mobile phones, in addition to existing PDA channels. In a survey of over 1,000 end users conducted during the pilot, the mobile phone emerged as the preferred choice of mobile device during travel, followed by the laptop and the PDA (personal digital assistant). Among hotel guests, 69 per cent preferred the mobile phone, while 50 per cent were current owners of PDAs. Among event attendees, 78 per cent preferred the mobile phone and 26 per cent were PDA owners. Top of the content wish list included entertainment and night life guide, event/concert ticket purchase, business news, real-time stocks, and language options. The survey also found that between 40 per cent and 44 per cent of visitors were willing to pay for the content. Armed with the trial experiences and survey findings, iTrove consortium partners Systems@Work, a local epayments facilitator, and Orange Gum, a mobile content management platform provider and service aggregator, will be taking iTrove from pilot to commercialisation. Orange Gum, for example, is adopting an advertising model in which merchants sponsor SMS (short message service) messages to visitors. Visitors will therefore view an advertisement before accessing their choice of information alerts. This is one way of providing an innovative service while making it free, said Tan Meng Wee, director of Orange Gum. It will be an opt-in, stealth messaging alert service, said Tan. "For event information, for example, which is real-time and localised, it is important to find a way to send information to users." Tourists and Singapore residents will be able to register for the service via kakure.itrove.com.sg, even when they are overseas, to receive information via their mobile phones. They can then indicate information preferences ranging from food and concerts to cheap gadgets and a zoo guide. Orange Gum will then work through the iTrove portal to send the relevant information to users. Tan acknowledged that for the model to work there must be a sizeable subscriber base. To address this, he plans to leverage on overseas subscribers of Orange Gum's portal services as the first batch of subscribers. Unlike Orange Gum, Systems@Work is planning to take the paid subscription approach in its commercialisation plans. Rates would be in the region of about $10 for visitors and $2 for Singapore residents. Chief executive officer Ng Fook Sun noted that Singapore receives about 6.1 million visitors each year. The market opportunity for Systems@Work would be significant if, say, 10 per cent of these subscribed to the service. In a separate development, Goodwood Park Hotel last week announced that it has decided to leverage on the iTrove technology platform to trial wireless solutions in its premises for guests. It is part of the hotel's strategic intent to better serve its corporate market, said marketing communications manager Belladonnah Lim. Michel Lim, assistant director, Technology Development, Singapore Tourism Board (STB), said the use of wireless applications will help enhance the experience of visitors to Singapore and strengthen its appeal as an attractive destination in a highly competitive global tourism industry. "Countries all over the world are vying to be one of the top destinations that tourists visit; this means every little edge over the competition counts for a lot," he said. "Visitors are also growing more sophisticated and diverse in their demands – their definition of what makes a 'must-visit' destination is now very much dependent on value added services which help shape their experience into an enjoyable and hassle free one. Now, having such services localised, personalised and wireless takes it one giant step further." In February 2002, the STB invited proposals exploring the use of wireless technology to enhance the overall tourist experience in Singapore. This experience is made up of several areas: where the tourist shops, eats and sleeps, the events and attractions that the tourist visits, and the mode of transportation that the tourist takes to get around Singapore, said Lim.