"ArchiWalks" iOS application

Eleni Digidiki | Master of MediaArchitecture | Winter Semester 2012-2013

ArchiWalks iOS Application

iOS Development II | Chair of Interface Design | Faculty of Media | Bauhaus-Universit채t Weimar

ArchiWalks

Architecture. Walks.

ArchiWalks is an iOS application that offers extended informations about the architectural monuments of the city of Mytilini in Greece and proposes featured walks of architectural interest around the city.

The city of Mytilini, located on Lesvos island (North Aegean, Greece), is chosen as case study for the development of the first version of the application ArchiWalks.

Like many greek cities, Mytilini hosts numerous architectural monuments from different architectural eras located the one next to the other. The proximity of the monuments and the friendly urban enviroment of the city makes it an ideal site for short or long itineraries.

what | why | who | how

ArchiWalks

Tourism. Cultural heritage.

According to the World Tourist Organization's reported data up until June 2012, Greece ranked 10th among the top destinations in Europe in 2011 reaching almost 16.43 million tourist arrivals with an increase of 9.5% over 2010. In 2011 Greece took the 17th position in the world's top tourism destinations ranking by international tourist arrivals.

Travelers to Greece have the opportunity to visit 17 sites and monuments of World Cultural Heritage as classified by UNESCO, among them: the “Acropolis” in Athens, the “Old Town of Corfu”, the “Medieval City of Rhodes” and the “Historic Centre (Chora) of the city of Patmos". Apart from these monuments and sites that gave to the cities of Athens, Corfu, Rhodes and Patmos worldwide reputation, there are hundreds of historical and public buildings scattered in the greek cities that are worth visiting and are not featured in any mobile application since today.

These facts boosted my intention for the development of an iOS application with location based services that could be used as travel guide and as architectural reference database.

what | why | who | how

ArchiWalks

ArchiWalkers.

ArchiWalks application addresses to architecture-enthusiasts, students, travelers, history-lovers and urban-walkers.

ArchiWalks aims to become not only a visual showcase for users that have an increased interest in learning about architectural monuments but also a travel companion for travelers that are eager to walk their way through the architectural history of the city.

ArchiWalks is a usefull tool in the fingertips of visitors and a handy reference for city dwellers that want to find out more about the architecture of their own city.

what | why | who | how

what | why | who | how

ArchiWalks

Technical specifications.

App version

ArchiWalks v1.1

App type

Reference, Travel

Operation System (OS)

iOS

Compatible

iPhone

Requires

iOS 5.0 or later

Native or Web-App

Native

ArchiWalks

Offline. Online.

All contents provided by the application (texts, images, maps) are available at anytime with no need for internet connection and roaming costs, since all data are stored offline on the device when the application is donwloaded from the App Store.

The user can enable the location services so as to determine his/her current location on the map and explore nearby sites, just by tapping the compass button.

what | why | who | how

ArchiWalks

Features.

Explore feature provides a map showcasing the architectural landmarks of the city of Mytilini.

Walks feature provides the list of featured walks and additional details for each walk, such as total number of buildings and the total walking distance. For each walk there is a map showcasing the buildings included in the specific walk and additional details for each building (description, images, address, name of architect, year of construction).

Architecture feature provides the full list of all the architectural monuments of Mytilini that are featured in the application. For each monument there is description, images and additional details, such as address, name of the architect and year of construction.

Options feature provides information about the application, support, feedback, rating and also the terms of service and the copyright and privacy policies.

what | why | who | how

ArchiWalks

what | why | who | how

ArchiWalks

Further development.

In future versions of ArchiWalks a collection of images (gallery feature) and help option will be included.

ArchiWalks could be further developed regarding the remarkable architecture of other greek cities, such as Rhodes or Corfu, and potentialy evolve to an ArchiWalks series: ArchiWalks Mytilini, ArchiWalks Rhodes, ArchiWalks Corfu etc.

what | why | who | how

Eleni Digidiki | Master of MediaArchitecture | Winter Semester 2012-2013

ArchiWalks iOS Application

iOS Development II | Chair of Interface Design | Faculty of Media | Bauhaus-Universit채t Weimar