Indra enables cities to predict tourist footfall and quickly adapt services

Indra, one of the leading global technology and consulting firms, has developed an advanced solution that allows municipal councils to manage and operate smart city and local services centrally and in real time, making it possible to anticipate the impact of increases in population caused by the influx of visitors and tourists.

Indra's global Smart Cities manager Alberto Bernal highlighted the benefits during his participation in the Smart Destination round table held today, April 25, at Greencities, the sustainable and smart cities forum taking place in Málaga this Wednesday and Thursday.

Thanks to its integration with Indra's City Landscape Manager solution, which has already been deployed in cities like Logroño, the Smart Destination Manager (SDM) provides cities with a specific response to the need to adapt services like waste management, security and public transportation. It also includes other services such as the smart management of historical heritage and the promotion of the tourist destination through digital interaction with visitors to detect patterns of behavior and spending and adapt the offering accordingly.

"It's a smart end-to-end tourism solution that greatly improves the management of city services and the tourist experience. For example, it can predict tourist footfall to quickly adapt services, both public and those provided by businesses and commercial establishments, therefore addressing seasonality, one of the main challenges of the sector. It also facilitates the creation of personalized offerings. The combination of these two aspects has very positive repercussions, not only for the positioning of cities as tourist destinations but also for the local economy and employment," said Alberto Bernal.

Smart Destination Manager offers analytical and simulation capabilities, making it possible to predict what will happen by reproducing procedures used in similar situations or events in the past that have been recorded in the system. "SDM makes it possible to generate public services increasingly adapted to the needs of tourists," explained Indra's Smart Cities manager. "For instance, if a concert is being organized, managers can check the location and number of security devices used on a previous occasion and simulate changes to avoid the massive crowds witnessed in the past."

Another important benefit is the adaptation of selective waste collection services to meet the increase in population during local festivals, for example, or to cope with the influx of visitors to beaches. The tool crosses the data on the number of containers, frequency and routes with the data for other services like events, emergencies or weather conditions to plan the necessary resources.

SDM also provides support to municipal managers by helping them design efficiency plans that enable them to anticipate the increase in the demand for services like water and energy consumption and reduce the impact on the energy bill for public lighting and buildings.

The tourist, a valuable source of information

Indra's solution can also capture the tourist's perception, as if it were sensor, classifying their opinions in different channels like social networks, portals or CRM by using analytical capabilities and IoT and machine learning technologies. All of this information provides a basis for improving services and the tourist's experience in the destination.

Meanwhile, the solution offers tourists a portal through which they can access practical information about the city (what's on guide, weather conditions, environment, traffic, etc.) on the spot or in advance. It also includes special offers and promotions, and a two-way communication tool with the local administration.

For example, visitors can receive information on their cell phone about entertainment options and restaurants, filtered according to their preferences. This is achieved by integrating and processing data from previous experiences by other visitors with the tourist's own interactions to generate recommendations based on an interpretation of the "context". This is a very useful option for promoting lesser known tourist sites, according to visitors' tastes, and reducing the congestion at the more popular monuments.

The use of mobile apps connected to the solution also provides information about the best routes and public transportation options to attend an event or visit a monument, as well as footfall data about popular attractions to help tourists choose the best time to visit them. Another service is augmented reality with a range of applications, such as offering historical information about the place the tourist is visiting or showing pictures of the dishes at the nearest restaurant.

Lastly, the solution makes it easier to design more efficient maintenance plans for historical heritage sites thanks to networks of sensors that facilitate the real-time control of security, energy efficiency and the facilities themselves.

Indra has more than ten years' experience developing projects to address the needs and challenges of tourism, from both the destination management and business points of view. Key examples of this experience in smart tourist destination management are the technological platforms for the Way of Saint James, the Rías Baixas region and the provincial administrations of Pontevedra and Toledo. Indra has also become a global benchmark for the technological transformation of the hotel industry, having implemented its systems in more than 1,000 hotels in 39 countries and having managed more than 20 million reservations with its TMS Suite.

Leader in Smart Cities

Indra is one of the few companies worldwide capable of providing a comprehensive offering in the world of Smart Cities. This ranges from services to citizens, to transportation and mobility, to infrastructures and eco-energy, to security/safety and emergencies to the implementation of an urban platform to integrate and manage the city's information. The company has developed more than 120 projects in this field around the world and participates in the main international initiatives such as Ciudad 2020, CPSE-Labs, Transforming Transport, Arrowhead, e-Vacuate or Mobywallet. Additionally, it led the development of the pioneering and most innovative projects for a comprehensive governing platform in a Smart City in Spain, such as A Coruña and Logroño, which have become a global benchmark for their cross-cutting approach.

About Indra

Indra is one of the world's top technology and consulting and a technology partner for the key operations of its customers' businesses worldwide. It is a leading worldwide provider of proprietary solutions in niche areas in Transport and Defense Markets and the absolute leader in IT in Spain and Latin America. It offers a comprehensive range of proprietary solutions and cutting edge services with a high added value in technology based on a unique culture of reliability, flexibility and adaptability to the needs of its customers. Indra is a world leader in the development of end-to-end technology solutions in fields such as Defense and Security, Transport and Traffic, Energy and Industry, Telecommunications and Media, Financial Services, Electoral Processes, and Public Administrations and Healthcare. Minsait is Indra’s digital transformation business unit. In 2017 Indra posted a revenue of €3,011m, employed 40,000 professionals, and had a local presence in 46 countries plus sales operations in more than 140 countries.