Proyecto Itinere

First and main goal of ITINERE project is setting up of a new "Virtual Intelligent Network", trough which some tourist agents (mainly but
not only public authorities) can provide different kinds of tourism content to final users depending on their location and/or personal
preferences. These final users or "en route" tourists will be enabled to download all those different sorts of content to the handheld
device of their choice: cel phone, GPS, smartphone, PDA, PSP and so on. Therefore we start the description of the ITINERE
technological development envisaged with a description of this main component.

1. Virtual Intelligent Network

ITINERE will set up a Virtual Intelligent Network consisting of brand-new hardware & software telecom components that will coexist with
operating telecommunication networks in a given area. So ITINERE platform will be provided with different wireless communication
protocols, be cellular ones such as GSM, GPRS or UMTS-HDSPA, or others such as Bluetooth, WLAN (802.11a/b/g wi-fi) or WMAN
(802.16a/b Wi-max). Such a setting up is inspired by the concept of intelligent sensors networks such as U.C. Berkeley Motes, Intel
Mote, MIT Stack or Tyndall Institute ones.

This Virtual Intelligent Network will be made up of several nodes (mainly but not exclusively bluetooth beacons), each of them apt to
store, process, transmit & manage data. Network architecture will be designed to be versatile enough to fit different applications and
changing user requiriments, and follows a three tier approach, each tier responsible for supplying, processing & communication
activities respectively.

2. Central Unit

ITINERE platform hardware & software components will be managed by a Central Unit, made up of several software modules. Between
them we can highlight the following:

-VMS or Virtual Network Management System, responsible for managing bluetooth beacons connected to Central Unit and monitoring
communication protocols (GPRS, UMTS,etc.) with operating networks.
-CMS or Content Management System, allows to manage all tourism contents that will be included in the platform.
-CDS or Conversion & Deploying System
-TAS or Text & Audio System

Two of the CU modules (CRM & GIS) are considered relevant enough to be described independently in following paragraphs.

3. CRM

As stated before, ITINERE platform articulates tourist relationship through a CRM tool that integrates all data about tourists present and
historic interactions, and optimizes the way the system can get in touch with them. Two main CRM features are of special significance
for this platform: analytical capabilities and multichannel approach. Public authorities responsible for tourist policies in a given area will
intensively use both features to rightly define tourist relationship strategies, sending incoming visitors personalized tourism contents
adjusted to actual location and personal preferences.

Because of the prominence of analytical capabilities for this project, CRM module will cover following components:

-Clustering & Profiling
-Analytic Datawarehousing & Datamining
-Balanced Scorecard

CRM strategy will also include a Tourist Call Center that will allow public authorities to help incoming visitors in those specific situations
when a direct voice interaction is recommended or needed.

4. GIS

ITINERE platform most significant functionalities depend on availability of efficient tools for tourist location. This efficiency means that
during this project next activities will be completed:

-Integration & storage of selected geodata portraying environment main features, not only geographical but also historical or cultural
-Design and development of multi-network location & analytic algorithms
-Design and development of a multi-device geo-viewer