Dubai Airport Free Zone Authority awards contract to Irish based company ShowGuider for Interactive 3D Site Model with Navigation System

ShowGuider, an Irish technological innovation company based at the Nimbus Research Centre, CIT, is developing an interactive 3D site model with positioning and navigation system for the Dubai Airport Free Zone Authority (DAFZA). Dubai Airport Free Zone is located in one of the busiest airports in the world and plays host to over 1600 international businesses including Rolls Royce, Bentley, General Electric and Airbus.

The ShowGuider team led by Dr Martin Klepal, an internationally recognised expert in opportunistic indoor tracking and software modelling, is developing a custom-built 3D model of the DAFZA complex with floor-by-floor modelling that will provide an intuitive user-friendly indoor navigation system for visitors. By tapping on location icons attached to buildings and facilities within the ShowGuider DAFZA 3D site model, visitors will be able to quickly navigate to their requested destination and to access detailed company product, personnel and marketing information. A sensible user interface design (UI) ensures that users don’t need to look constantly at the screen while being guided to their destination. The innovative system, which works even when offline, will be primed to incorporate sensor monitoring, user tracking and communication facilities.

A traffic monitoring feature integrating high quality CCTV IP cameras, which has been custom developed by ShowGuider for inclusion in the system, will be instrumental in solving a major traffic congestion problem for the Dubai Airport Free Zone Authority. The ShowGuider system is designed to integrate seamlessly with the existing DAFZA app and will include a sophisticated back-end content management system (CMS) to facilitate instant onsite updating. The system is being developed using ShowGuider’s unique MapUme positioning solution which can either run independently on mobile devices or be driven by ShowGuider’s own cloud-based platform.

The CIT based ShowGuider team achieved an international reputation for excellence when their MapUme system won first place in the “infrastructure-free” category at the 2014 Microsoft International Indoor Positioning Competition at IPSN Berlin. Currently available using Bluetooth Low Energy beacons, WiFi and inertial sensors, the system is quickly adaptable to a wide range of signal inputs and localisation methods. The system is already being used at large-scale exhibitions, shopping malls and other venues.

Dr Martin Klepal, CTO of ShowGuider said, ‘We are very pleased that ShowGuider has been awarded this prestigious contract which is giving us a tremendous opportunity to showcase Irish technological innovation globally. Dubai Airport is one of the world’s busiest airports and their Free Zone is home to many of the world’s most successful international businesses and commercial events.’

See www.showguider.com for further details or contact Dr Martin Klepal: martin.klepal@cit.ie