Visible light communications technologies for smart tourism destinations

Abstract

in this paper we present the use of visible light communications devices serving as data access point in a Smart City scenario, where the primary objective are tourism services (Following the proposal of the Smart Tourism Destination Spanish program). They use traffic or street lights for providing basic guidance information or even broadband access when required. The use of traffic lights for offering information to pedestrians as they are crossing the streets has been specially designed for blind people under the paradigm of "universal accessibility and design for all", but can also be used for providing basic information to anyone. The use of street lights as auxiliary access points where the presence of several visitors are seeking broadband tourism information data access simultaneously, as usually happens when a cruise arrives to LPA harbor, should offer an alternative to conventional cellular or Wi-Fi access.