The Rocks Taps Into Smart Phone App Technology

The Rocks

The Rocks is the historic part Sydney Australia at the city end of the Sydney Harbour Bridge. Visitors will be able to learn more about 37 historical locations in The Rocks with a swipe of their smart phone thanks to revolutionary technology developed with the support of the NSW Government.

Deputy Premier and Minister for Trade and Investment Andrew Stoner last week announced that The Rocks was the world’s first heritage precinct to offer visitors an interactive tour through the navigation of their mobile phones.

“With just a simple tap of their mobile phone, visitors will be taken on a journey through laneways of The Rocks, along cobblestone streets and up and down sandstone steps to reveal fascinating stories of families, friends, convicts and colonists,” Mr Stoner said.

The NSW Government helped IT company Tapit develop the technology through the first round of its Collaborative Solutions program, called Mobile Concierge, which supported consortiums to develop innovative mobile solutions for our tourism and retail industries.

The Rocks

Sydney Harbour Foreshore Authority will integrate the innovative technology, combining near field communication tags and Quick Response (QR) codes into 37 historical locations in and around The Rocks. Similar to barcodes, QR codes can be scanned by almost any smart phone. Future plans include video, audio and bi-lingual capabilities.